Comb copolymers consisting of polystyrene backbone
and poly(
tert-butyl (meth)acrylate) side chains were synthesized by combination of nitroxide (TEMPO)-mediated
polymerization (NMP)
and photoinduced grafting from
macro-iniferters. First, poly(chloromethylstyrene), PCMS, with the degree of
polymerization
and two r
andom poly(styrene-
co-chloromethylstyrene) copolymers, P(S-
co-CMS), with similar
![]()
but different content (8
and 14 mol % ) of CMS units, were synthesized by NMP. In the second step the CMS units both in the homopolymer
and the copolymers were converted to
N,
N-diethyldithiocarbamyl groups (DC) yielding photosensitive multifunctional
macro-iniferters. Finally,
tert-butyl methacrylate
tBuMA was
grafted from the synthesized polymer backbones by
iniferter technique under UV-irradiation yielding copolymers polystyrene-
graft-poly(
tert-butyl methacrylate) PS-
g-P(
tBuMA). Grafting
initiated by the
macro-iniferters containing
![]()
6–11 DC initiating sites per macromolecule proceeded by pseudo-living
polymerization mechanism, i.e., the number-average molecular weight increased with conversion
and the SEC traces were unimodal. In contrast, photo-
polymerization initiated by highly functionalized polystyrene backbone was poorly controlled. Hydrolysis of loosely
grafted copolymers PS-
g-P(
tBuMA) afforded amphiphilic copolymers polystyrene-
graft-poly(methacrylic acid). Molecular parameters of the synthesized
graft copolymers in dilute THF solutions were determined by scattering (DLS, SLS, SAXS)
and viscometric measurements.