Journal of Applied Polymer Science, Vol.61, No.2, 333-342, 1996
Effects of Tetrahydrofuran as a Structure Modifier in Preparation of SBS Thermoplastic Block-Copolymers in Cyclohexane
Linear styrene-butadiene block copolymers of polyA-block-polyB-bloch-polyA type (SBS) were synthesized in the presence of varying amounts of THF functioning as the polar structure modifier. The efficiency of this modifier was studied by analyzing the microstructure of synthesized polymers using C-13-NMR, and the effect of THF on polymerization kinetics was determined by progressive buildup of the molecular weight measured by GPC. Polymerization at 4000 ppm THF concentration resulted in the highest styrene polymerization rate while a 1 wt % concentration gave the highest butadiene polymerization rate. The vinyl content increased from 20 to 64% with an increase in the amount of THF from 200 ppm to 1 wt % while the content of trans-1,4 and cis-1,4 units decreased. For SBS polymer synthesized via a sequential process, the use of THF as the structure modifier enhanced the crossover efficiency that would otherwise result in a skewed molecular weight distribution with a higher polydispersity. For SBS polymer made via a coupling process, the coupling efficiency decreased when the amount of THF exceeded a certain limit. The temperature dependence of the coupling efficiency was also investigated.
Keywords:BUTADIENE-STYRENE COPOLYMERS;BULI/THF TERT-AMOK;ANIONIC-POLYMERIZATION;NMR;POLYBUTADIENES;MICROSTRUCTURE