ANIONIC FUNCTIONAL POLYMERS, TRIBLOCK COPOLYMERS AND MODEL NETWORKS DERIVED FROM 2,3-EPOXYPROPYL METHACRYLATE

This paper is devoted to the anionic polymerization of glycidyl methac rylate (GMA), using 1,1,4,4-tetraphenyl-1,4-dilithiobutane as the bifu nctional initiator, at low temperature, in an aprotic solvent, and in the presence of the required amount of lithium chloride. This polymeri zation yields well defined polymers, exhibiting molar masses close to the expected ones, and narrow molar mass distributions. The oxirane ri ng remaining unaffected, the polymerization involves exclusively the m ethacrylic unsaturation of the monomer. Using this difunctional initia tor, the synthesis of poly(GMA)-b-poly(MMA)-b-poly(GMA) triblock copol ymers can be achieved. The central block of poly(MMA) (poly(methyl met hacrylate)) is synthesized first, followed by the outer poly(GMA) bloc ks. All these materials have been characterized by analytical determin ation of the oxirane content, by size exclusion chromatography and by proton nuclear magnetic resonance, the latter method leading to the co polymer composition. The species formed are free of the corresponding homopolymers and their molar mass distributions are narrow and unimoda l. Finally, new polymeric model networks have been synthesized by endl inking, upon addition of a small amount of ethylene dimethacrylate to the above bifunctional living precursor polymers.