ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Synthesis of urethane—acrylic multi-block copolymers via electrochemically mediated ATRP

Pawel Chmielarz and Andrzej Sobkowiak

Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Rzeszów University of Technology, Al. Powstancdw Warszawy 6, 35-959 Rzeszów, Poland

E-mail: pchmiel@prz.edu.pl

Abstract: The electrochemically mediated atom transfer radical polymerisation (eATRP) of n-butyl acrylate was investigated under a variety of catalyst concentrations. Poly(n-butyl acry late)- block-polyurethane-block-poly (n-butyl acrylate) copolymers were prepared via electrochemically mediated atom transfer radical polymerisation (eATRP) using only 7 × 10^–6 mole % of Cu^II complex. The successful chain extension and formation of penta-block copolymers confirmed the living nature of the poly(alkyl acrylates) prepared by eATRP. In this work, the tri-block and penta-block urethane-acrylate copolymers were synthesised for the first time by using tertiary bromine-terminated polyurethane macro-initiators as transitional products reacting with n-butyl acrylate, and subsequently with tert-butyl acrylate in the presence of the Cu^IIBr₂/TPMA catalyst complex. The results of ¹H NMR spectral studies support the formation of tri-block poly (n-butyl acrylate)-block-polyurethane-block-poly(n-butyl acrylate) copolymers, and penta-block poly(tert-butyl acrylate)-block-poly (n-butyl acry late)-block-polyurethane-block-poly (n-butyl acrylate)- block-poly(tert-butyl acrylate) copolymers.

Keywords: polymer synthesis – eATRP – copolymers – polyurethanes – polyacrylates

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.1515/chempap-2016-0054

Chemical Papers 70 (9) 1228–1237 (2016)