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Closed‐System One‐Pot Block Copolymerization by Temperature‐Modulated Monomer Segregation
Author(s) -
Carmean R. Nicholas,
Figg C. Adrian,
Becker Troy E.,
Sumerlin Brent S.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
angewandte chemie
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1521-3757
pISSN - 0044-8249
DOI - 10.1002/ange.201603129
Subject(s) - copolymer , monomer , polymerization , polymer chemistry , deoxygenation , materials science , chemical engineering , melting point , reagent , chemistry , polymer , organic chemistry , catalysis , engineering
Abstract A biphasic one‐pot polymerization method enables the preparation of block copolymers from monomers with similar and competitive reactivities without the addition of external materials. AB diblock copolymers were prepared by encapsulating a frozen solution of monomer B on the bottom of a reaction vessel, while the solution polymerization of monomer A was conducted in a liquid layer above. Physical separation between the solid and liquid phases permitted only homopolymerization of monomer A until heating above the melting point of the lower phase, which released monomer B, allowing the addition of the second block to occur. The triggered release of monomer B allowed for chain extension without additional deoxygenation steps or exogenous monomer addition. A method for the closed (i.e., without addition of external reagents) one‐pot synthesis of block copolymers with conventional glassware using straightforward experimental techniques has thus been developed.