1. Quasi-alternating copolymerization of oxiranes driven by a benign acetate-based catalyst.
- Author
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Fornaciari, Charlotte, Lemaur, Vincent, Pasini, Dario, and Coulembier, Olivier
- Subjects
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COPOLYMERIZATION , *POLYMERS , *ACETATES , *PROPYLENE oxide , *POLYMERIZATION , *BENZYL alcohol , *POLYETHERS , *COPOLYMERS - Abstract
Alternating copolymers are distinctly unique in comparison with other copolymers. Herein, an in-depth investigation of the oxyanionic ring-opening copolymerization of propylene oxide (PO) and allyl glycidyl ether (AGE) from benzyl alcohol (BnOH) activated with potassium acetate (KOAc) complexed by 18-crown-6 ether (18C6) is described. We demonstrate that the 18C6/KOAc complex is an efficient and benign catalytic system to promote copolymerization of both oxirane monomers, leading to well-defined polyethers with varied comonomer content and low dispersity values (ƉM < 1.20). Kinetic analysis confirmed the controlled nature of the (co)polymerization process, and the determination of reactivity ratios revealed a quasi-alternating copolymerization profile, according to the Fineman-Ross method. The comparison between the quasi-alternating-type PO/AGE copolymerization and block or gradient copolymerization revealed significant differences, to confirm the different sequence incorporation in the different topological copolymers. These results highlight the great potential of 18C6/KOAc-mediated copolymerization process for the controlled sythesis of a series of copolymer topologies. all: To meet the rising demand for sustainable and simple polymer syntheses, organocatalytic polymerizations are a powerful tool. Here, the authors report the quasi-alternating polymerization of oxirane monomers at room temperature and in solvent-free conditions catalyzed by potassium acetate complexed by 18-crown-6 ether, leading to well-defined polyethers with varied comonomer content and low dispersity values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
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