Epoxidation of Multiblock Copolymers of Norbornene and Cyclooctene

The epoxidation of double bonds in random multiblock copolymers of norbornene and cyclooctene is studied for the first time. The initial copolymers with different composition and average block length are synthesized via the cross-metathesis reaction between polynorbornene and polycyclooctene in the presence of the first-generation Grubbs catalyst. New multiblock copolymers containing oxirane fragments in the backbone are obtained with a yield of 85–92% through epoxidation conducted under the action of m-chloroperbenzoic acid in toluene. The kinetics of epoxidation of polynorbornene, polycyclooctene, and their multiblock copolymers in deuterochloroform and deuterobenzene is investigated via the in situ monitoring of transformation of double bonds using 1Н NMR spectroscopy. It is shown that on the whole the modification of cyclooctene units occurs more easily in copolymers than that in the homopolymer. The thermal properties of epoxidized homo- and copolymers are examined. It is found that upon epoxidation the glass-transition temperature and the melting temperature of multiblock copolymers increase by 40–50 and 20–30°С, respectively, wherein the degree of crystallinity and the temperature of melting grow with the length of the cyclooctene block.