Well-defined poly(dimethylsiloxane-b-styrene) diblock copolymers were prepared by reversible addition-fragmentation chain-transfer (RAFT) polymerization. Monohydroxyl-terminated polydimethylsiloxane was modified to form a functional polydimethylsiloxane/ macro-RAFT agent, which was reacted with styrene to form the diblock copolymers. The chemical compositions and structures of the copolymers were characterized by proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and gel permeation chromatography. The surface properties and morphology of the copolymers were investigated with static water contact-angle measurements, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy, which showed a low surface energy and microphase separation surfaces that were composed of hydrophobic domains from polydimethylsiloxane segments.
Well-defined polydimethylsiloxane-blockpolystyrene (PDMS-b-PS) diblock copolymers were prepared by reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization using a functional PDMS-macro RAFT agent. The RAFT polymerization kinetics was simulated by a mathematical model for the RAFT polymerization in a batch reactor based on the method of moments. The model described molecular weight, monomer conversion, and polydispersity index as a function of polymerization time. Good agreements in the polymerization kinetics were achieved for fitting the kinetic profiles with the developed model. In addition, the model was used to predict the effects of initiator concentration, chain transfer agent concentration, and monomer concentration on the RAFT polymerization kinetics.
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