A new method for the synthesis of poly(dichlorophosphazene)
at ambient temperatures is
described. It involves the initiation of
Cl3PNSiMe3 with small amounts of
PCl5 in CH2Cl2 to yield
poly(dichlorophosphazene), (NPCl2)
n
, with
narrow polydispersities. The molecular weight of
poly(dichlorophosphazene) was controlled by altering the ratio of monomer to
initiator. The polymer chains were
found to be active after chain propagation since further addition of
monomer resulted in the formation
of higher molecular weight polymer. Integration of 1H
and 31P NMR spectra of these reactions
revealed
that the polymerization follows first-order reaction kinetics with
respect to monomer concentration. Active
polymer chains may be quenched or end-capped by the addition of trace
quantities of Me2(CF3CH2O)PNSiMe3 or
(CF3CH2O)3PNSiMe3.
Furthermore, PBr5, SbCl5, and
Ph3C[PF6] were also found
to be effective initiators in CH2Cl2 at
room temperature.