Control of Molecular Weight and Tacticity in Stereospecific Living Cationic Polymerization of α‐Methylstyrene at 0 °C Using FeCl3‐Based Initiators: Effect of Tacticity on Thermal Properties. Issue 12 (17th May 2013)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Banerjee, Sanjib; Paira, Tapas K.; Mandal, Tarun K.
• Is Part Of: Macromolecular chemistry and physics. Volume 214:Issue 12(2013:Jun.)
• Page Start: 1332
• Page End: 1344
• Publication Date: 2013-05-17
• Subjects: Polymers -- Periodicals; Polymerization -- Periodicals; Synthetic products -- Periodicals; Macromolecules -- Periodicals; 547.7
• DOI: 10.1002/macp.201300092
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1022-1352

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main" xml:lang="en"> <title>Abstract</title> <p>The successful stereospecific living cationic polymerization of α‐methylstyrene (α‐MeSt) using FeCl₃‐based initiator systems at 0 °C is reported. Linear first‐order ln([M]₀/[M]) vs. time and linear molecular weight vs. conversion plots suggest that the polymerization is living in nature, which is further confirmed from successful chain‐extension experiments. Poly(α‐methylstyrene)s of varying syndiotacticities (59.1% to 79.2%) and controllable molecular weights (4300–32 100 g mol⁻¹) with moderately narrow polydispersity indices (PDIs ≈1.3) are synthesized simply by varying the monomer‐to‐initiator ratio ([M]₀/[I]₀). A possible mechanism for this stereospecific polymerization is proposed. The glass‐transition temperature and thermal‐decomposition temperature depend on the syndiotacticity of poly(α‐methylstyrene).<boxed-text content-type="graphic" position="anchor" orientation="portrait"><graphic position="anchor" mimetype="image" xlink:href="ark:/27927/pgg224pfrk3" orientation="portrait" xlink:type="simple" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" /></boxed-text></p> </abstract>