Preparation and Properties of Branched Polystyrene through Radical Suspension Polymerization

Wenyan Huang; Weikai Gu; Hongjun Yang; Xiaoqiang Xue; Bibiao Jiang; Dongliang Zhang; Jianbo Fang; Jianhai Chen; Yang Yang; Jinlong Guo

doi:10.3390/polym9010014

Preparation and Properties of Branched Polystyrene through Radical Suspension Polymerization

Polymers (Basel). 2017 Jan 6;9(1):14. doi: 10.3390/polym9010014.

Authors

Wenyan Huang¹, Weikai Gu², Hongjun Yang³, Xiaoqiang Xue⁴, Bibiao Jiang⁵, Dongliang Zhang⁶, Jianbo Fang⁷, Jianhai Chen⁸, Yang Yang⁹, Jinlong Guo¹⁰

Affiliations

¹ School of Materials Science and Engineering, Changzhou University, Changzhou 213164, China. ellahwy@cczu.edu.cn.
² School of Materials Science and Engineering, Changzhou University, Changzhou 213164, China. 15189722821@163.com.
³ School of Materials Science and Engineering, Changzhou University, Changzhou 213164, China. hjyang0519@cczu.edu.cn.
⁴ School of Materials Science and Engineering, Changzhou University, Changzhou 213164, China. xxq969@cczu.edu.cn.
⁵ School of Materials Science and Engineering, Changzhou University, Changzhou 213164, China. jiangbibiao@cczu.edu.cn.
⁶ School of Materials Science and Engineering, Changzhou University, Changzhou 213164, China. zhangdongliang@cczu.edu.cn.
⁷ School of Materials Science and Engineering, Changzhou University, Changzhou 213164, China. fjbiloveyou@126.com.
⁸ School of Materials Science and Engineering, Changzhou University, Changzhou 213164, China. jhchen@cczu.edu.cn.
⁹ School of Materials Science and Engineering, Changzhou University, Changzhou 213164, China. yangyang@cczu.edu.cn.
¹⁰ School of Materials Science and Engineering, Changzhou University, Changzhou 213164, China. 15161162203@163.com.

Abstract

Radical solvent-free suspension polymerization of styrene with 3-mercapto hexyl-methacrylate (MHM) as the branching monomer has been carried out using 2,2'-azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) as the initiator to prepare branched polymer beads of high purity. The molecular weight and branching structure of the polymers have been characterized by triple detection size exclusion chromatography (TD-SEC), proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (¹H-NMR), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The glass transition temperature and rheological properties have been measured by using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and rotational rheometry. At mole ratios of MHM to AIBN less than 1.0, gelation was successfully avoided and branched polystyrene beads were prepared in the absence of any solvent. Branched polystyrene has a relatively higher molecular weight and narrower polydispersity (M_w.MALLS = 1,036,000 g·mol^-1, M_w/M_n = 7.76) than those obtained in solution polymerization. Compared with their linear analogues, lower glass transition temperature and decreased chain entanglement were observed in the presently obtained branched polystyrene because of the effects of branching.

Keywords: branched polymer; radical polymerization; solvent-free; suspension polymerization.