Free Radical Copolymerization of Styrene and C₆₀

Abstract

C60 reacts with free radicals produced by AIBN thermal decomposition and/or propagating polystyrene radicals to form adducts or polymers with significantly modified optical properties. C60 competes with styrene for AIBN radicals acting as a free radical retarder that can be incorporated into the final polymer. In general, the weight percent of C60 in the polymer is increased at the expense of the polymer yield and molecular weight. The average number of C60 moieties per polymer is close to unity for the reaction conditions studied, but an analysis of size exclusion chromatographic traces suggests that multiple C60 moieties can be incorporated into the polymer.

Anionic copolymerization of [60]fullerene with styrene initiated by sodium naphthalene

“…These results differs greatly from those of starlike or star-shaped C 60 -styrene copolymers. 9,12,21,22,25,39 For star-like or star-shaped C 60 -styrene copolymers prepared by use of (a) radical-initiated polymerization reaction, or (b) reaction of polymeric "living" carbanions pregenerated with C 60 , the two salient features from GPC analyses are (a) a large increase in the number-average molecular weight when compared with linear polystyrene reference obtained under the same experimental conditions without C 60 ; and (b) a striking increase in the polydispersity index with increasing C 60 content in copolymers. On the basis of these analyses, we could make such conclusion that the C 60 -styrene copolymer obtained by using sodium naphthalene as initiator might be a hyperbranched polymer but not a star like, or linear polymeric fullerene derivative.…”

Radical copolymerization of fullerene (C60) and n‐butyl methacrylate (BMA) using triphenylbismuthonium ylide and characterization of C60–BMA copolymers

“…Fullerene is well known as a radical scavenger [30]. It is also reported that fullerene acts as an inhibitor for fullerene-styrene [35] and fullerene-MMA copolymerization [31]. The R p varies with an inverse function of the fullerene concentration due to the radical scavenging effect of fullerene.…”

Preparation and Characterizations of C60/Polystyrene Composite Particle Containing Pristine C60Clusters

“…Generally, copolymerization of vinyl monomers such as styrene and methyl methacrylate with C 60 is initiated by organic free radical initiators such as 2,2'-azobis(2-methylpropionitrile) (AIBN) or dibenzoyl peroxide (BPO). [9][10][11][12][13][14] Due to the high susceptibility of C 60 toward free radicals (> 10 5 times higher than vinyl monomers), 9 however, C 60 molecules are incorporated in the polymer chain with a covalently bonded structure resulting in a copolymerization with styrene, which consequently changes the spectroscopic and electronic properties of C 60 . Liao et al investigated the selforganized supramolecular aggregates obtained from spraying the solution of fullerenes grafted with linear polymer chains by light-scattering and fluorescence spectroscopy.…”