Some properties of three types of copolymers with uniform polyoxyethylene grafts

Abstract Three types of copolymers with uniform polyoxyethylene (PEO) grafts, synthesized by copolymerization of PEO macromers with methyl methacrylate (MMA), methyl acrylate (MA) or styrene (S), were purified and then characterized by GPC, IR, 1 H-NMR and DSC. Their crystalline properties, emulsifying properties and phase transfer catalytic effects in the Williamson reaction were studied. The three copolymers with different backbones exhibited different crystallinities, decreasing in the order: PS-g-PEO > PMMA-g-PEO > PMA-g-PEO. Crystallinity increases with both content and molecular weight of PEO grafts, but diminishes after complexing with salts; the order of reducing crystallinity is: LiClO 4 > KSCN > FeCl 2 . Both emulsifying ability and phase transfer catalytic efficiency of the copolymers decrease in the order: PMMA-g-PEO > PMA-g-PEO > PS-g-PEO. Both emulsifying volume and conversion in the Williamson reaction increase with amount or PEO content of the copolymer used, but decrease with increasing molecular weight of the PEO grafts.