Methacrylic ester‐based dimers and oligomers were synthesized using a metal‐based catalytic chain transfer agent. Conditions were employed which maximized the yield of unsaturated dimers, and the copolymerization behavior of these dimers was investigated. The molecular weight and polymer yield were found to decrease with increasing dimer concentration in the copolymerization feeds. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Latex films have a tendency to "blush" when exposed to water. The swelling of trapped hydrophilic material, which results in pockets with different refractive indices, is proposed as a possible model for blushing. A pressure-sensitive latex was developed on the basis of this model. The blush was improved by the choice of the surfactant and control of the particle diameter. The resulting latex has an unusual particle growth behavior during polymerization. The particle size distribution (PSD) was characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS), electron microscopy (SEM/TEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The data are in a good agreement with our proposed growth model.

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Telechelic polyisobutylenes with silylcyclopentadiene termini (CpSi‐PIB‐SiCp) were prepared, starting with α,ω‐di(t‐chloro)polyisobutylene and followed by dehydrochlorination, hydrosilylation, and cyclopentadienylation. The prepolymer was characterized and found to have a terminal functionality close to 2.0. Thermal chain extension by Diels–Alder addition of the end groups did not occur, most likely because of fluxional isomerization of the silylcyclopentadiene end groups, confirmed by model studies. Chain coupling of CpSi‐PIB‐SiCp prepolymers with stoichiometric amounts of bismaleimide gave rise to degrees of extension of more than 11.