Telechelic polymer

Last updated

A telechelic polymer or oligomer is a prepolymer capable of entering into further polymerization or other reactions through its reactive end-groups. [1] It can be used for example to synthesize block copolymers.

Contents

By definition, a telechelic polymer is a di-end-functional polymer where both ends possess the same functionality. [2] Where the chain-ends of the polymer are not of the same functionality they are termed di-end-functional polymers.

All polymers resulting from living polymerization are end-functional but may not necessarily be telechelic. [2]

Telechelic polymers with different number of reactive end groups can be termed according to the number of end-groups as “hemi-” (one), “di-” (two),” and “tri-telechelic” (three) polymers. When it presents many end groups it is called “polytelechelic”. [3]

To prepare polymers by step-growth polymerization, telechelic polymers like polymeric diols and epoxy prepolymers can be used. The main examples are:

Other examples of telechelic polymers are the halato-telechelic polymers or halatopolymers. [4] The end-groups of these polymers are ionic or ionizable like carboxylate or quaternary ammonium groups.

Synthesis

Telechelic polymers can be synthesized by different polymerization mechanisms. From vinyl monomers, among synthetic strategies are controlled radical polymerization and anionic polymerization. In the case of olefins, that is difficult to be functionalized, recent advances in insertion polymerization and post-polymerization can be used to produce telechelic polyolefins. [5] [6]

Application

Telechelic polymers is important in the preparation of block copolymers acting as building blocks for the structural design of these copolymers. Particularly, ABA triblock copolymers has received much industrial interest for development of thermoplastic elastomers. [7]

Related Research Articles

In chemistry, a monomer is a molecule that can react together with other monomer molecules to form a larger polymer chain or three-dimensional network in a process called polymerization.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polymer</span> Substance composed of macromolecules with repeating structural units

A polymer is a substance or material consisting of very large molecules called macromolecules, composed of many repeating subunits. Due to their broad spectrum of properties, both synthetic and natural polymers play essential and ubiquitous roles in everyday life. Polymers range from familiar synthetic plastics such as polystyrene to natural biopolymers such as DNA and proteins that are fundamental to biological structure and function. Polymers, both natural and synthetic, are created via polymerization of many small molecules, known as monomers. Their consequently large molecular mass, relative to small molecule compounds, produces unique physical properties including toughness, high elasticity, viscoelasticity, and a tendency to form amorphous and semicrystalline structures rather than crystals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Acetal</span> Organic compound with the structure >C(O–)2

In organic chemistry, an acetal is a functional group with the connectivity R2C(OR')2. Here, the R groups can be organic fragments or hydrogen, while the R' groups must be organic fragments not hydrogen. The two R' groups can be equivalent to each other or not. Acetals are formed from and convertible to aldehydes or ketones and have the same oxidation state at the central carbon, but have substantially different chemical stability and reactivity as compared to the analogous carbonyl compounds. The central carbon atom has four bonds to it, and is therefore saturated and has tetrahedral geometry.

In polymer science, the polymer chain or simply backbone of a polymer is the main chain of a polymer. Polymers are often classified according to the elements in the main chains. The character of the backbone, i.e. its flexibility, determines the properties of the polymer. For example, in polysiloxanes (silicone), the backbone chain is very flexible, which results in a very low glass transition temperature of −123 °C. The polymers with rigid backbones are prone to crystallization in thin films and in solution. Crystallization in its turn affects the optical properties of the polymers, its optical band gap and electronic levels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thermosetting polymer</span> Polymer obtained by irreversibly hardening (curing) a resin

In materials science, a thermosetting polymer, often called a thermoset, is a polymer that is obtained by irreversibly hardening ("curing") a soft solid or viscous liquid prepolymer (resin). Curing is induced by heat or suitable radiation and may be promoted by high pressure or mixing with a catalyst. Heat is not necessarily applied externally, and is often generated by the reaction of the resin with a curing agent. Curing results in chemical reactions that create extensive cross-linking between polymer chains to produce an infusible and insoluble polymer network.

In polymer chemistry, an addition polymer is a polymer that forms by simple linking of monomers without the co-generation of other products. Addition polymerization differs from condensation polymerization, which does co-generate a product, usually water. Addition polymers can be formed by chain polymerization, when the polymer is formed by the sequential addition of monomer units to an active site in a chain reaction, or by polyaddition, when the polymer is formed by addition reactions between species of all degrees of polymerization. Addition polymers are formed by the addition of some simple monomer units repeatedly. Generally polymers are unsaturated compounds like alkenes, alkalines etc. The addition polymerization mainly takes place in free radical mechanism. The free radical mechanism of addition polymerization completed by three steps i.e. Initiation of free radical, Chain propagation, Termination of chain.

A diol is a chemical compound containing two hydroxyl groups. An aliphatic diol is also called a glycol. This pairing of functional groups is pervasive, and many subcategories have been identified.

In organic chemistry, a polyol is an organic compound containing multiple hydroxyl groups. The term "polyol" can have slightly different meanings depending on whether it is used in food science or polymer chemistry. Polyols containing two, three and four hydroxyl groups are diols, triols, and tetrols, respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amidine</span> Organic compounds

Amidines are organic compounds with the functional group RC(NR)NR2, where the R groups can be the same or different. They are the imine derivatives of amides (RC(O)NR2). The simplest amidine is formamidine, HC(=NH)NH2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">End group</span> Functional group at the extremity of an oligomer or other macromolecule

End groups are an important aspect of polymer synthesis and characterization. In polymer chemistry, they are functional groups that are at the very ends of a macromolecule or oligomer (IUPAC). In polymer synthesis, like condensation polymerization and free-radical types of polymerization, end-groups are commonly used and can be analyzed by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to determine the average length of the polymer. Other methods for characterization of polymers where end-groups are used are mass spectrometry and vibrational spectrometry, like infrared and raman spectroscopy. These groups are important for the analysis of polymers and for grafting to and from a polymer chain to create a new copolymer. One example of an end group is in the polymer poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate where the end-groups are circled.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hot-melt adhesive</span> Glue applied by heating

Hot-melt adhesive (HMA), also known as hot glue, is a form of thermoplastic adhesive that is commonly sold as solid cylindrical sticks of various diameters designed to be applied using a hot glue gun. The gun uses a continuous-duty heating element to melt the plastic glue, which the user pushes through the gun either with a mechanical trigger mechanism on the gun, or with direct finger pressure. The glue squeezed out of the heated nozzle is initially hot enough to burn and even blister skin. The glue is sticky when hot, and solidifies in a few seconds to one minute. Hot-melt adhesives can also be applied by dipping or spraying, and are popular with hobbyists and crafters both for affixing and as an inexpensive alternative to resin casting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Branching (polymer chemistry)</span> Attachment of side chains to the backbone chain of a polymer

In polymer chemistry, branching is the regular or irregular attachment of side chains to a polymer's backbone chain. It occurs by the replacement of a substituent on a monomer subunit by another covalently-bonded chain of that polymer; or, in the case of a graft copolymer, by a chain of another type. Branched polymers have more compact and symmetrical molecular conformations, and exhibit intra-heterogeneous dynamical behavior with respect to the unbranched polymers. In crosslinking rubber by vulcanization, short sulfur branches link polyisoprene chains into a multiple-branched thermosetting elastomer. Rubber can also be so completely vulcanized that it becomes a rigid solid, so hard it can be used as the bit in a smoking pipe. Polycarbonate chains can be crosslinked to form the hardest, most impact-resistant thermosetting plastic, used in safety glasses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polyester</span> Category of polymers, in which the monomers are joined together by ester links

Polyester is a category of polymers that contain the ester functional group in every repeat unit of their main chain. As a specific material, it most commonly refers to a type called polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Polyesters include naturally occurring chemicals, such as in plants and insects, as well as synthetics such as polybutyrate. Natural polyesters and a few synthetic ones are biodegradable, but most synthetic polyesters are not. Synthetic polyesters are used extensively in clothing.

A Norrish reaction in organic chemistry is a photochemical reaction taking place with ketones and aldehydes. Such reactions are subdivided into Norrish type I reactions and Norrish type II reactions. The reaction is named after Ronald George Wreyford Norrish. While of limited synthetic utility these reactions are important in the photo-oxidation of polymers such as polyolefins, polyesters, certain polycarbonates and polyketones.

Synthetic resins are industrially produced resins, typically viscous substances that convert into rigid polymers by the process of curing. In order to undergo curing, resins typically contain reactive end groups, such as acrylates or epoxides. Some synthetic resins have properties similar to natural plant resins, but many do not.

In polymer chemistry, a repeat unit or repeating unit is a part of a polymer whose repetition would produce the complete polymer chain by linking the repeat units together successively along the chain, like the beads of a necklace.

In materials science, a polymer blend, or polymer mixture, is a member of a class of materials analogous to metal alloys, in which at least two polymers are blended together to create a new material with different physical properties.

PBAT is a biodegradable random copolymer, specifically a copolyester of adipic acid, 1,4-butanediol and terephthalic acid. PBAT is produced by many different manufacturers and may be known by the brand names ecoflex, Wango,Ecoworld, Eastar Bio, and Origo-Bi. It is also called poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) and sometimes polybutyrate-adipate-terephthalate or even just "polybutyrate". It is generally marketed as a fully biodegradable alternative to low-density polyethylene, having many similar properties including flexibility and resilience, allowing it to be used for many similar uses such as plastic bags and wraps. It is depicted as a block co-polymer here due to the common synthetic method of first synthesizing two copolymer blocks and then combining them. However, it is important to note that the actual structure of the polymer is a random co-polymer of the blocks shown.

Reversible deactivation radical polymerizations (RDRPs) are members of the class of reversible deactivation polymerizations which exhibit much of the character of living polymerizations, but cannot be categorized as such as they are not without chain transfer or chain termination reactions. Several different names have been used in literature, which are:

Functionalized polyolefins are olefin polymers with polar and nonpolar functionalities attached onto the polymer backbone. There has been an increased interest in functionalizing polyolefins due to their increased usage in everyday life. Polyolefins are virtually ubiquitous in everyday life, from consumer food packaging to biomedical applications; therefore, efforts must be made to study catalytic pathways towards the attachment of various functional groups onto polyolefins in order to affect the material's physical properties.

References

  1. IUPAC , Compendium of Chemical Terminology , 2nd ed. (the "Gold Book") (1997). Online corrected version: (2006) " telechelic polymer ". doi : 10.1351/goldbook.TT07167
  2. 1 2 Moad, G.; Solomon, D. H. (2006). The Chemistry of Radical Polymerisation (2nd ed.). Elsevier.
  3. Tsukahara, Yasuhisa; Adachi, Kaoru (2015), "Telechelic Polymer: Preparation and Application", in Kobayashi, Shiro; Müllen, Klaus (eds.), Encyclopedia of Polymeric Nanomaterials, Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer, pp. 2491–2498, doi:10.1007/978-3-642-29648-2_201, ISBN   978-3-642-29648-2, S2CID   102709219 , retrieved 2022-07-01
  4. IUPAC , Compendium of Chemical Terminology , 2nd ed. (the "Gold Book") (1997). Online corrected version: (2006) " halato-telechelic polymer ". doi : 10.1351/goldbook.HT07207
  5. Tsukahara, Yasuhisa; Adachi, Kaoru (2015), "Telechelic Polymer: Preparation and Application", in Kobayashi, Shiro; Müllen, Klaus (eds.), Encyclopedia of Polymeric Nanomaterials, Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer, pp. 2491–2498, doi:10.1007/978-3-642-29648-2_201, ISBN   978-3-642-29648-2, S2CID   102709219 , retrieved 2022-07-01
  6. Yan, Tianwei; Guironnet, Damien (2021-09-21). "Synthesis of telechelic polyolefins". Polymer Chemistry. 12 (36): 5126–5138. doi:10.1039/D1PY00819F. ISSN   1759-9962. S2CID   239687329.
  7. Guillaume, Sophie M. (2013-04-01). "Recent advances in ring-opening polymerization strategies toward α,ω-hydroxy telechelic polyesters and resulting copolymers". European Polymer Journal. Biobased Polymers and Related Materials. 49 (4): 768–779. doi: 10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2012.10.011 . ISSN   0014-3057.