FREE-RADICAL POLYMERIZATION OF MACROMONOMERS

Vinylbenzyl-terminated polystyrene (PS) macromonomers with various mol ecular weights were prepared by the direct reaction of living anion en ds with p-chloromethylstyrene (CMS). The values of propagation fate co nstants (k(p)) were obtained from free radical polymerizations of PS m acromonomers in benzene at 40 degrees C in the presence of 1-buten-3-o l as a degradative chain transfer agent by using gel permeation chroma tography(GPC) analysis. The polymer radicals were terminated by a unim olecular mechanism. We studied the propagation step of PS macromonomer s from the point of view of molecular weight dependences on the k(p).