SYNTHESIS, STRUCTURE, AND DYNAMICS OF POL YACRYLONITRILE-POLYSTYRENE AND FULLERENE-POLYSTYRENE GRAFT-COPOLYMERS

Graft copolymers characterized by different grafting frequencies and s ide chains of different length were synthesized by reacting poly(styre ne lithium) or poly(styrene lithium alkoxide) with polyacrylonitrile. Poly(styrene lithium alkoxide) showed a much higher efficiency in the grafting, As demonstrated by Rayleigh's light scattering and sedimenta tion-diffusion analysis, the mean distance between the grafting points may be controlled from 15 to 70 repeating units in the main chain (M( PAN) = 1.30 x 10(5), M(PS) = 2.40 x 10(3)). By reacting poly(styrene l ithium) or disodium tetramer of alpha-methyl styrene with fullerene, t wo different products were obtained: a starlike structure with a fulle rene core and polystyrene or oligo(alpha-methyl styrene) chains as ray s, and, in the case of disodium tetramer of alpha-methyl styrene, a mo re complex structure, in which starlike graft copolymers were linked b y oligo(alpha-methyl styrene) chains (pearl necklace structure), The m obility and dimensions of the structures of those two types were quant itatively described, In particular, it was demonstrated that the neckl ace structure is more than four times as large as the starlike structu re. The structures of the obtained copolymers were verified by the dat a of high-resolution NMR and conformational calculations available in the literature for similar structures.