A variety of methods were used to make polymers with different architecture and functionalities. The linking chemistry of vinyldimethylchlorosilane (VDMCS) with poly(styryl)lithium (Mn = 1,700-3,000 g/mol) was studied. The average degree of branching varied from 7.5 to 9.4 with an increase in concentration of VDMCS (1.2 to 5.2 eq). The intrinsic viscosities and melt viscosities (at 160 °C) of the star polymers were found to be less than half of that of the corresponding linear polystyrenes.
α-Pyrrolidine-functionalized polystyrene (Mn = 2,700 g/mol, Mw/Mn = 1.03, 92.5%) was successfully synthesized from α-chloromethyldimethylsilane-functionalized polystyrene(Mn = 2,600 g/mol, Mw/Mn = 1.02) based on NMR spectroscopy, MALDI-TOF and ESI mass spectrometry.
The stability of silyl hydride groups under atom transfer radical polymerization conditions was proven by copolymerizing methyl methacrylate and (4-vinylphenyl)dimethylsilane (VPDS). Tapered block copolymers of isoprene, VPDS, and styrene with narrow molecular weight distributions (1.04 and 1.05) were synthesized via
anionic polymerization.
Evidence regarding the topology of cyclic polybutadienes was obtained by Atomic Force Microscopy of grafted polymers obtained by grafting an excess of silyl hydride functionalized
polystyrene (Mn = 8,300 g/mol, Mw/Mn =1.01) onto cyclic polybutadiene(Mn=88,000 g/mol, Mw/Mn = 2.0).
The reactivity of polyisobutylene carbocations was compared with respect to competitive electrophilic addition to a vinyl group versus silyl hydride transfer by investigating the reaction with VPDS. Based on GPC results, and 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy, no evidence for any vinyl group addition was observed.
A successful attempt was made to prepare electrospun fibers from fluorofunctionalized styrene-butadiene elastomers. The water contact angle of these surfaces was found to be 162.8o ± 3.8o for the fibrous mat of the fluorinated polymers as compared
to 151.2o ± 2.4o for the analogous fibrous mat of the non-fluorinated polymers.
In-chain functionalization of tapered styrene butadiene rubber using chloromethydimethylsilane was quantitatively done via a hydrosilation reaction. Pyrrolidine-functionalized styrene butadiene rubber was obtained in 71% yield after reacting pyrrolidine with chloromethyldimethylsilane-functionalized styrene butadiene rubber.
In-chain, silyl hydride-functionalized, deuterated polystyrene (Mn = 2,100 g/mol,Mw/Mn = 1.01) was functionalized with allyl cyanide in the presence of Karstedt's catalyst to obtain in-chain cyano-functionalized, deuterated polystyrene (45% based on
the mass of in-chain, cyano-functionalized deuterated polystyrene obtained).