A successive route to amphiphilic graft copolymers with a hydrophilic poly(3-hydroxypropyl methacrylate) backbone and hydrophobic polystyrene side chains

Abstract

A successive method for preparing novel amphiphilic graft copolymers with a hydrophilic backbone and hydrophobic side chains was developed. An anionic copolymerization of two bifunctional monomers, namely, allyl methacrylate (AMA) and a small amount of glycidyl methacrylate (GMA), was carried out in tetrahydrofuran (THF) with 1,1-diphenylhexyllithium (DPHL) as the initiator in the presence of LiCl ([LiCl]/[DPHL]0 = 2), at −50 °C. The copolymer poly(AMA-co-GMA) thus obtained possessed a controlled molecular weight and a narrow molecular weight distribution (Mw /Mn = 1.08–1.17). Without termination and polymer separation, a coupling reaction between the epoxy groups of this copolymer and anionic living polystyrene [poly(St)] at −40 °C generated a graft copolymer with a poly(AMA-co-GMA) backbone and poly(St) side chains. This graft copolymer was free of its precursors, and its molecular weight as well as its composition could be well controlled. To the completed coupling reaction solution, a THF solution of 9-borabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane was added, and this was followed by the addition of sodium hydroxide and hydrogen peroxide. This hydroboration changed the AMA units of the backbone to 3-hydroxypropyl methacrylate, and an amphiphilic graft copolymer with a hydrophilic poly(3-hydroxypropyl methacrylate) backbone and hydrophobic poly(St) side chains was obtained. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 1195–1202, 2000