Synthesis of graft copolymer of syndiotactic polystyrene and PMMA via activation of inert C-H bonds and atom transfer radical polymerization

POLY 42

Jihoon Shin, Lacie Browell, Stephen M. Jensen, and Chulsung Bae, chulsung.bae@unlv.edu. Department of Chemistry, University of Nevada Las Vegas, 4505 Maryland Parkway, P.O. Box 454003, Las Vegas, NV 89154-4003
Functionalization of commercial polystyrenes with three types of tacticity (syndiotactic, isotactic, and atactic) was accomplished with the iridium-catalyzed borylation of arene C-H bonds. The functionalization allowed the introduction of boronate ester group without negatively affecting the molecular weight and the tacticity of the starting polymer. Further, we demonstrated atom transfer radical polymerization with methyl methacrylate from functionalized syndiotactic polystyrene produced a high molecular weight graft copolymers of syndiotactic polystyrene, sPS-g-PMMA. The new method to install functional groups into crystalline polystyrenes will expand the commercial possibilities of these important polyolefins.
 

General Papers: Functional Materials
8:00 AM-12:00 PM, Sunday, August 19, 2007 Westin Boston Waterfront -- Douglas, Oral

Division of Polymer Chemistry

The 234th ACS National Meeting, Boston, MA, August 19-23, 2007