We present a new method for epoxide polymerizations utilizing tunable, aluminum-based initiators, which leverage the chemical versatility of thiol compounds to control polymer end group. The polymerization and copolymerization of various epoxides, such as epichlorohydrin and propylene oxide, demonstrate the flexibility of the initiators. Polymer molecular weight was controlled up to 100 kg/mol for the epoxides studied while maintaining relatively narrow polydispersity &lt; 1.3. We further characterized the kinetics of epoxide polymerizations through <sup>1</sup>H NMR spectroscopy and studied how the initiator structure impacted the kinetics. Finally, we employed our initiators to polymerize from thiol-end functionalized polymers, such as polystyrene (PS) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), synthesized through RAFT polymerization, which allows us to easily create block-co-polymers made from vinyl and epoxide monomers. Therefore, this new synthetic tool allows for the facile polymerization of epoxides into well-defined, functional, polyether materials.

Versatile, thio-aluminum initiators for epoxide polymerizations

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.