Synthesis, characterization and application of a new telechelic photoactive chain transfer agent (CTA) for RAFT/MADIX polymerization

In this thesis, a new telechelic photoactive chain transfer agent (CTA) for RAFT/MADIX polymerization was synthesized, characterized, and used in RAFT/MADIX polymerization. The work was completed in four stages. In the first stage, bromine (Br) end-functionalized a benzoin photoinitiator (B-Br) was synthesized from the reaction of the benzoin with 2-bromopropaniol bromide. In the second stage, the reaction of the benzoin compound with CS2 in the presence of NaH was carried out and to this reaction medium was added B-Br before terminating the reaction to synthesize a new photoreactive telechelic CTA (RAFT agent). The characterization of the synthesized RAFT agent was done by elemental analysis, FT-infrared, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, UV-Vis and fluorescence techniques. In the third stage, a well-defined PSt macrophotoinitiator (telechelic macrophotoinitiators, B-PSt-B) containing benzoin photoreactive group at both ends of the chain was obtained by using the RAFT/MADIX polymerization technique with synthesized xanthate type CTA and styrene (St). The characterization of the obtained telechelic polystyrene macrophotoinitiator was performed by FT-infrared, 1H-NMR, GPC, UV-Vis, and fluorescence techniques. In the fourth and final stage of the study, the photochemical properties of the synthesized B-PSt-B were examined. For this purpose, an ABA type block copolymer (PCHO-PSt-PCHO) was obtained by using B-PSt as a prepolymer in photochemical cationic polymerization of cyclohexene oxide (CHO) monomer. Characterization of the synthesized block copolymer was done by FT-infrared, 1H-NMR and GPC techniques.