skip to main content


Title: Internal plasticization of poly(vinyl chloride) by grafting acrylate copolymers via copper‐mediated atom transfer radical polymerization
Abstract

Internal plasticization of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) was achieved in one‐step using copper‐mediated atom transfer radical polymerization to graft different ratios of randomn‐butyl acrylate and 2–2‐(2‐ethoxyethoxy)ethyl acrylate copolymers from defect sites on the PVC chain. Five graft polymers were made with different ratios of poly(butyl acrylate) (PBA) and poly(2–2‐(2‐ethoxyethoxy)ethyl acrylate) (P2EEA); the glass transition temperatures (Tg) of functionalized PVC polymers range from − 25 to − 50°C. SingleTgvalues were observed for all polymers, indicating good compatibility between PVC and grafted chains, with no evidence of microphase separation. Plasticization efficiency is higher for polyether P2EEA moieties compared with PBA components. The resultant PVC graft copolymers are thermally more stable compared to unmodified PVC. Increasing the reaction scale from 2 to 14 g produces consistent and reproducible results, suggesting this method could be applicable on an industrial scale.

 
more » « less
NSF-PAR ID:
10452757
Author(s) / Creator(s):
 ;  ;  ;  
Publisher / Repository:
Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons)
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Journal of Applied Polymer Science
Volume:
138
Issue:
31
ISSN:
0021-8995
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. Abstract

    Insertion of CO2into the polyacrylate backbone, forming poly(carbonate) analogues, provides an environmentally friendly and biocompatible alternative. The synthesis of five poly(carbonate) analogues of poly(methyl acrylate), poly(ethyl acrylate), and poly(butyl acrylate) is described. The polymers are prepared using the salen cobalt(III) complex catalyzed copolymerization of CO2and a derivatized oxirane. All the carbonate analogues possess higher glass‐transition temperatures (Tg=32 to −5 °C) than alkyl acrylates (Tg=10 to −50 °C), however, the carbonate analogues (Td≈230 °C) undergo thermal decomposition at lower temperatures than their acrylate counterparts (Td≈380 °C). The poly(alkyl carbonates) exhibit compositional‐dependent adhesivity. The poly(carbonate) analogues degrade into glycerol, alcohol, and CO2in a time‐ and pH‐dependent manner with the rate of degradation accelerated at higher pH conditions, in contrast to poly(acrylate)s.

     
    more » « less
  2. Abstract

    Halogen exchange in atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) is an efficient way to chain‐extend from a less active macroinitiator (MI) to a more active monomer. This has been previously achieved by using CuCl/L in the equimolar amount to Pn−Br MI in the chain extension step. However, this approach cannot be effectively applied in systems based on regeneration of activators (ARGET ATRP), since they operate with ppm amounts of catalysts. Herein, a catalytic halogen exchange procedure is reported using a catalytic amount of Cu in miniemulsion ARGET ATRP to chain‐extend from a less active poly(n‐butyl acrylate) (PBA) MI to a more active methyl methacrylate (MMA) monomer. Influence of different reagents on the initiation efficiency and dispersity is studied. Addition of 0.1mNaCl or tetraethylammonium chloride to ATRP of MMA initiated by methyl 2‐bromopropionate leads to high initiation efficiency and polymers with low dispersity. The optimized conditions are then employed in chain extension of PBA MI with MMA to prepare diblock and triblock copolymers.

     
    more » « less
  3. Herein, we present the direct modification of glucose, an abundant and inexpensive sugar molecule, to produce new sustainable and functional polymers. Glucose-6-acrylate-1,2,3,4-tetraacetate (GATA) has been synthesized and shown to provide a useful glassy component for developing an innovative family of elastomeric and adhesive materials. A series of diblock and triblock copolymers of GATA and n -butyl acrylate (n-BA) were created via Reversible Addition–Fragmentation Chain Transfer (RAFT) polymerization. Initially, poly(GATA)- b -poly(n-BA) copolymers were prepared using 4-cyano-4-[(ethylsulfanylthiocarbonyl)sulfanyl] pentanoic acid (CEP) as a chain transfer agent (CTA). These diblock copolymers demonstrated decomposition temperatures of 275 °C or greater and two glass transition temperatures ( T g ) around −45 °C and 100 °C corresponding to the PnBA and PGATA domains, respectively, as measured by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Triblock copolymers of GATA and n-BA, with moderate dispersities ( Đ = 1.15–1.29), were successfully synthesized when S , S -dibenzyl trithiocarbonate (DTC) was employed as the CTA. Poly(GATA)- b -poly(nBA)- b -poly(GATA) copolymers with 14–58 wt% GATA were prepared and demonstrated excellent thermomechanical properties ( T d ≥ 279 °C). Two well-separated glass transitions near the values for homopolymers of n-BA and GATA (∼−45 °C and ∼100 °C, respectively) were measured by DSC. The triblock with 14% GATA exhibited peel adhesion of 2.31 N cm −1 (when mixed with 30 wt% tackifier) that is superior to many commercial pressure sensitive adhesives (PSAs). Use of 3,5-bis(2-dodecylthiocarbonothioylthio-1oxopropoxy)benzoic acid (BTCBA) as the CTA provided a more efficient route to copolymerize GATA and n-BA. Using BTCBA, poly(GATA)- b -poly(nBA)- b -poly(GATA) triblock copolymers containing 12–25 wt% GATA, with very narrow molar mass distributions ( Đ ≤ 1.08), were prepared. The latter series of triblock copolymers showed excellent thermal stability with T d ≥ 275 °C. Only the T g for the PnBA block was observed by DSC (∼−45 °C), however, phase-separation was confirmed by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) for all of these triblock copolymers. The mechanical behavior of the polymers was investigated by tensile experiments and the triblock with 25% GATA content demonstrated moderate elastomeric properties, 573 kPa stress at break and 171% elongation. This study introduces a new family of glucose-based ABA-type copolymers and demonstrates functionality of a glucose-based feedstock for developing green polymeric materials. 
    more » « less
  4. ABSTRACT

    Internal plasticization of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) using thermal azide‐alkyne Huisgen dipolar cycloaddition between azidized PVC and electron‐poor acetylenediamides incorporating a branched glutamic acid linker resulted in incorporation of four plasticizing moieties per attachment point on the polymer chain. A systematic study incorporating either alkyl or polyethylene glycol esters provided materials with varying degrees of plasticization, with depressedTgvalues ranging from −1 °C to 62 °C. Three interesting trends were observed. First,Tgvalues of PVC bearing various internal plasticizers were shown to decrease with increasing chain length of the plasticizing ester. Second, branched internal plasticizers bearing triethylene glycol chains had lowerTgvalues compared to those with similar length long‐chain alkyl groups. Finally, thermogravimetric analysis of these internally plasticized PVC samples revealed that these branched internal plasticizers bearing alkyl chains are more thermally stable than similarity branched plasticizers bearing triethylene glycol units. These internal tetra‐plasticizers were synthesized and attached to PVC‐azide in three simple synthetic steps. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem.2019,57, 1821–1835

     
    more » « less
  5. Abstract

    Rubber toughening of glassy polystyrene (PS) has been manufactured commercially for decades as high impact polystyrene, where rubbery poly‐butadiene (PB) inclusions are added to modify the PS matrix response to deformation and impact. In this study, measurements of the local glass transition temperatureTg(z) of PS next to PB rubber are presented, expanding the previous data to a polymer with a much lowerTgvalue (PBTgbulk= −96 °C). After accounting for a small molecule additive present in the commercial PB sample that would otherwise migrate over to the PS domain causing plasticization, it is found that theTg(z) profile in PS next to PB is consistent with previous results. It is also demonstrated that these broad and asymmetric experimentally observedTg(z) profiles are not caused by the migration of low molecular weight chains across the interface by comparing samples made with two different poly(n‐butyl methacrylate) molecular weights.

     
    more » « less