BN 2-Vinylnaphthalene (BN2VN) has been demonstrated to be a promising alternative to vinyl acetate for the synthesis of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) copolymers. However, the molecular weight (MW) of BN2VN copolymers is limited to the ca. 103 Da level. Hypothesizing that chain transfer from propagating BN2VN radical to organic solvents could account for low molecular weights, in this work, a comparison of the chain transfer constant between BN2VN and Styrene (St) in different organic solvents was made by using the Mayo plot method. The possible chain transfer mechanism from BN2VN to toluene is also proposed by comparing the radical stabilization energies and analyzing the aromaticity of BN rings. Besides determining the chain transfer constant, the influence of the solvent, temperature, and initiator concentration on BN2VN polymer molecular weight was disclosed. With all these conditions under control, BN2VN polymers with MW around 105 Da were successfully made, which indicates that BN polymers are promising compounds to make long-chain amphiphilic polymer and gel materials.

Chain transfer to solvent in BN 2-vinylnaphthalene radical polymerization

ACS Spring 2022

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