Facile synthesis of epoxystyrene and its copolymerisations with styrene byliving free radical and atom transfer radical strategies

Epoxystyrene (ethenylphenyloxirane) has been synthesised in a single-stage process by mono-epoxidation of divinylbenzene using magnesium monoperoxypht halic acid. Copolymers of epoxystyrene and styrene were then synthesised by living free radical polymerisation and atom transfer radical polymerisatio n methods. In both cases the oxirane group of epoxystyrene was found to be stable under the conditions of polymerisation, though at the temperatures r equired for LFRP, copolymers with bimodal molecular weight distributions re sulted. In contrast, as long as the temperature used for ATRP was kept belo w 100 degrees C, copolymers with narrow, monomodal distributions could be o btained. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.