An experimental methodology is presented to characterize the evolution of structural
heterogeneities in cross-linked polymer networks formed by homopolymerizations of multifunctional
monomers. In particular, intramolecularly cross-linked macromolecules (ICMs) were synthesized by
individual initiation events and characterized. A set of complementary experimental tools, including atomic
force microscopy (AFM), size exclusion chromatography, light scattering, and NMR, is used to provide
information about size, intramolecular cross-link density, and kinetic chain length for poly(methacrylic
anhydride) (PMA) ICMs. Images of PMA ICMs, which contain ca. 1000−2000 monomers, on average, are
captured with AFM. Varying polymerization temperature from −13 to 70 °C led to an increase in the
apparent size of the ICMs and an increase in the fraction of doubly reacted monomers. Furthermore,
ICMs synthesized in the presence of tetraethylthiuram disulfide (TED), a photoiniferter precursor, were
characterized. Iniferter-mediated polymerization of methacrylic anhydride created smaller ICMs with
higher intramolecular cross-link density.
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