A novel method for the synthesis of perfectly alternating polycarbonate-polydimethylsiloxane (PC-PDMS) multiblock copolymers was developed. The method involved coupling of pre-formed oligomers using platinum-catalyzed hydrosilylation. Allyl-terminated polycarbonate oligomers were synthesized using interfacial polymerization, eugenol as the end-capping monomer, and triphosgene as the carbonyl source. Gel permeation chromatography and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy were used to demonstrate successful block copolymer formation. A comparison of the optical properties of a PC-PDMS block copolymer produced with this method to that of a commercially available PC-PDMS block copolymer showed that the hydrosilylation-based process provided higher optical clarity, indicating smaller PDMS domains resulting from the more uniform block copolymer structure.

Synthesis and characterization of perfectly alternating polycarbonate-polydimethylsiloxane multiblock copolymers

242nd National Meeting (2011)

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