J. Kurjata, J. Chojnowski, C. Yeoh
Aug 19, 2004
Citations
0
Influential Citations
43
Citations
Journal
Polymer
Abstract
Abstract AB amphiphilic comb-like block copolymers of poly(oligo[ethylene glycol] methyl ether methacrylate) and polydimethylsiloxane were synthesised with a methodology based on atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). The anionic ring opening polymerisation of hexamethylcyclotrisiloxane followed by reaction with 3-(chlorodimethylsilyl) propyl 2-bromo-2-methylpropanoate propyldimethylchlorosilane gave suitable macroinitiators for the ATRP of oligo[ethylene glycol] methyl ether methacrylate. The latter synthetic procedure was optimised by performing a number of syntheses varying the reaction solvent, catalytic complex and the temperature used. Copolymers with relatively high polydispersity indices ( M w / M n >1.3) could be synthesised at room temperature by employing a Cu(I)Br: N , N , N ′, N ′, N ″-pentamethyldiethylenetriamine complex in n -propanol with Cu(II)Br. The optimum reaction conditions employed a Cu(I)Cl: N -( n -propyl)-2-pyridyl(methanimine) complex with an n -propanol/water mixture or toluene as solvent at 90 °C. This gave block copolymers of the desired molecular weights and polydispersity indices of less than 1.1. The block copolymers were characterised with 1 H NMR and 13 C NMR spectroscopy and size exclusion chromatography.