Facile synthesis of epoxystyrene and its copolymerisations with styrene by living free radical and atom transfer radical strategies

• Published in: Polymer (Guilford) Vol. 40; no. 9; pp. 2411 - 2418
• Main Authors: Jones, Richard G., Yoon, Sangwoong, Nagasaki, Yukio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01-04-1999; Elsevier
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Copolymerization; Epoxystyrene; Exact sciences and technology; Living radical copolymerisation; Organic polymers; Physicochemistry of polymers; Preparation, kinetics, thermodynamics, mechanism and catalysts; Styrene; Living radical copolymerisation; Epoxystyrene; Styrene; Random copolymer; Preparation; Living copolymer; Styrene derivative copolymer; Radical copolymerization; Experimental study; Functional polymer; Styrene copolymer
• ISSN: 0032-3861; 1873-2291
• DOI: 10.1016/S0032-3861(98)00442-X

Epoxystyrene (ethenylphenyloxirane) has been synthesised in a single-stage process by mono-epoxidation of divinylbenzene using magnesium monoperoxyphthalic acid. Copolymers of epoxystyrene and styrene were then synthesised by living free radical polymerisation and atom transfer radical polymerisation methods. In both cases the oxirane group of epoxystyrene was found to be stable under the conditions of polymerisation, though at the temperatures required for LFRP, copolymers with bimodal molecular weight distributions resulted. In contrast, as long as the temperature used for ATRP was kept below 100°C, copolymers with narrow, monomodal distributions could be obtained.