DESIGNED MONOMERS AND POLYMERS, cilt.9, sa.6, ss.663-676, 2006 (SCI-Expanded)
Poly(dihalophenylene oxide)s by solid-state thermal decomposition of (trihalophenolato) cerium complexes with either N-methyl imidazole or pyridine as neutral ligands were synthesized at different temperatures (80-250 degrees C) and different time intervals (3-48 h) via atom transfer rearrangement radical polymerization. The complexes were characterized by FT-IR, DSC, SEM, mass spectroscopy, magnetic susceptibility and elemental analyses. Structural analyses of polymers were performed by H-1- and C-13-NMR, SEM and FT-IR spectroscopic analyses, T-g by DSC and the molecular weights by viscometry. 2,4,6-Trichlorophenolate displayed a slightly higher selectivity in favor of 1,2-addition, whereas 1,2- and 1,4-additions took place at equal rates in the case of 2.4,6-tribromophenolate. Pyridine complexes decomposed at lower temperatures and had lower polymer yield than the N-methyl imidazole complexes. Among the synthesized polymers in solid state, the highest intrinsic viscosity value of 0.058 dl/g (M-w = 7.15 x 10(4)) was achieved only with Ce(TCP)(3)(Py)(2) complexes. All the polymers having high T-g values (178-189 degrees C) were rigid.