Core Cross-Linked Star Polymer Prepared Via Arm-Linking Reaction Mediated By 1,1-Diphenylethene Radical Polymerization System

Abstract

In this paper, we present a facile method for the preparation of core cross-linked star (CCS) polymer via arm-linking reaction with divinyl benzene (DVB) as cross-linker, mediated by the 1,1-diphenylethene (DPE) method. Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and poly(tertbutyl acrylate) (PtBA) precursors containing DPE unit with controlled molecular weights and lower polydispersity were first synthesized by the DPE method. Then, the arm-linking reaction of the resultant PMMA and PtBA precursors was carried out with DVB as crosslinker, leading to the successful formation of [PMMA]_n-polyDVB and [PtBA]_n-polyDVB CCS polymers. The influence of the molar ratio of precursor to DVB and reaction time on the formation of CCS polymers were investigated in detail, and the molecular weight, composition and chemical structure of the as-prepared CCS polymers were characterized by gel permeation chromatography (GPC), GPC/LS (static laser scattering), FT-IR and ¹H-NMR.

Keywords:

• 1,1-Diphenylethene
• core cross-linked star polymers
• divinyl benzene
• self-assembly

Funding

This work was jointly supported by special fund of Beijing Construction Program (2-7-2012-10) and the fundamental research funds for the central universities (2-9-2011-037, 2-9-2012-23).