Ring-substituted polyphenylacetylenes prepared with insertion catalysts: preparation, characterization, study of molecular weight and configurational stability
Abstract
Series of fluorine-containing ring-substituted phenylacetylenes have been polymerized with various Rh based catalysts. In polymerization systems yielding the soluble products we achieved the MW control by a proper selection of Rh-catalyst composition.
All the prepared soluble polymers were of high microstructure uniformity with high cis double bonds content. Selected samples were submitted to the long-term MW and configurational stability tests.
Polymers dissolved in THF and exposed to the atmosphere at diffused day light had undergone simultaneously proceeding cis-to-trans isomerisation and degradation. The stability of polymers was positively affected by the bulkiness of substituent on the Ph-ring and by the presence of substituent in the vicinity of the polymer main chain.
The detailed study of ageing process involving the analyses of deeply aged polymer samples revealed the non-random character of degradation and mutual interconnection of degradation and cis-to-trans isomerisation processes.