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Polymer Modification as a Route to Functional Copolymers

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Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Yaroslav Kudryavtsev

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Guest Editor

Topchiev Institute of Petrochemical Synthesis, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
Interests: polymer modification; macromolecular reactions; copolymers; microphase separation; self-assembly; phase diagrams; polymer-based nanocomposites
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The modification of synthetic and natural macromolecules remains an important means of obtaining functional polymers with applications in all areas of human endeavor. Whereas reactions on polymers are generally more complicated than those on their low-molar-mass analogues, they can provide a variety of copolymers with tunable chain structures and properties. Studies on the mechanisms and kinetics of modification require researchers to be inventive in combining comprehensive methods of polymer science. In this Special Issue, we most welcome papers that experimentally or theoretically address the relations between the reaction conditions, monomer unit distribution in the transforming chains, and functional characteristics of the reaction products. Of particular interest are the following topics:

The effect of chain structure on the copolymer’s properties;
The selective modification of macromolecules to enhance their ordering ability;
Click reactions on polymers;
Polymer modification with control over the distribution of functional groups;
Polymer modification during processing.

Prof. Dr. Yaroslav Kudryavtsev
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

post-polymerization modification
functionalization
polymer-analogous reactions
curing
end-coupling
grafting
kinetics
copolymers
monomer unit distribution
self-assembly

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

Jump to: Review

18 pages, 2458 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Olefin-Metathesis-Derived Norbornene–Ethylene–Vinyl Acetate/Vinyl Alcohol Multiblock Copolymers: Impact of the Copolymer Structure on the Gas Permeation Properties

by Alexey V. Roenko, Roman Y. Nikiforov, Maria L. Gringolts, Nikolay A. Belov, Yulia I. Denisova, Georgiy A. Shandryuk, Galina N. Bondarenko, Yaroslav V. Kudryavtsev and Eugene S. Finkelshtein

Polymers 2022, 14(3), 444; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14030444 - 22 Jan 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2879

Abstract

Commercial metathesis polynorbornene is used for the fabrication of high-damping coatings and bulk materials that dissipate vibration and impact energies. Functionalization of this non-polar polymer can improve its adhesive, gas barrier, and other properties, thereby potentially expanding its application area. With this aim, the post-modification of polynorbornene was carried out by inserting ethylene–vinyl acetate–vinyl alcohol blocks into its backbone via the cross-metathesis of polynorbornene with poly(5-acetoxy-1-octenylene) and subsequent deacetylation and hydrogenation of the obtained multiblock copolymers. For the first time, epoxy groups were introduced into the main chains of these copolymers, followed by the oxirane ring opening reaction. The influence of post-modification on the thermal, gas separation, and mechanical properties of the new copolymers was studied. It was shown that the gas permeability of the copolymer significantly depends on its composition, as well as on the amounts of hydroxyl and epoxy groups. The developed methods efficiently improve the barrier properties, reducing the oxygen permeability by 15–33 times in comparison with polynorbornene. The obtained results are promising for various applications and can be extended to a broader family of polydienes and other polymers containing backbone double bonds. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymer Modification as a Route to Functional Copolymers)

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Graphical abstract

Review

Jump to: Research

37 pages, 4470 KiB

Open AccessReview

RAFT-Based Polymers for Click Reactions

by Elena V. Chernikova and Yaroslav V. Kudryavtsev

Polymers 2022, 14(3), 570; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14030570 - 31 Jan 2022

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 5355

Abstract

The parallel development of reversible deactivation radical polymerization and click reaction concepts significantly enriches the toolbox of synthetic polymer chemistry. The synergistic effect of combining these approaches manifests itself in a growth of interest to the design of well-defined functional polymers and their controlled conjugation with biomolecules, drugs, and inorganic surfaces. In this review, we discuss the results obtained with reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization and different types of click reactions on low- and high-molar-mass reactants. Our classification of literature sources is based on the typical structure of macromolecules produced by the RAFT technique. The review addresses click reactions, immediate or preceded by a modification of another type, on the leaving and stabilizing groups inherited by a growing macromolecule from the chain transfer agent, as well as on the side groups coming from monomers entering the polymerization process. Architecture and self-assembling properties of the resulting polymers are briefly discussed with regard to their potential functional applications, which include drug delivery, protein recognition, anti-fouling and anti-corrosion coatings, the compatibilization of polymer blends, the modification of fillers to increase their dispersibility in polymer matrices, etc. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymer Modification as a Route to Functional Copolymers)

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