Scale up Batch Reaction of Precision Polymers

ABSTRACT:

Morphologies of free radical polymers are difficult to study due to the imprecise nature of the polymerization.  Acyclic Diene Metathesis, (ADMET) creates strictly linear, and precisely spaced functional polymers from a variety of different types of α, ω-diene monomers ^[1].   These polymers have demonstrated unique morphologies and properties that are not readily available from other polymerization techniques.  We have performed ADMET polymerization on 1, 9 decadiene with the intent to scale the polymerization, in order to determine whether this method is feasible for commercial scale.  One of the major draw backs of ADMET is the need for high vacuum techniques; this limits the use of solvents to ionic liquids or other expensive, high boiling solvents.  Bulk conditions lead to high viscosity, poor catalyst activity, difficult processability, and slower reaction times ^[2].   To this end we are exploring the use of high boiling, commercially available and inexpensive solvents such as propylene carbonate for ADMET polymerization.  From our experiments, we have achieved a M_n≈9,600, which results in an X_n of 70 and overall conversion of 98.6%. 

Figure 1 illustrates the reaction mechanism of the described ADMET polymerization.

References:

[1] Baughman, Travis W., and Kenneth B. Wagener. "Recent Advances in ADMET Polymerization." Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 03 Feb. 2005.Print.

[2] Simocko, Chester, Yong Yang, Timothy M. Swager, and Kenneth B. Wagener. "Metathesis Step-Growth Polymerizations in Ionic Liquid." ACS Macro Lett. ACS Macro Letters 2.12 (2013): 1061-064. Web. 10 Oct. 2015.