SYNTHESIS AND PHOTOINITIATED CATIONIC POLYMERIZATION OF EPOXIDIZED ELASTOMERS

Low and high molecular weight cis-1,4-poly(isoprene), 1,4-poly(butadiene), and 1,2-poly(butadiene) were epoxidized using a tungsten-based redox phase transfer catalyst and hydrogen peroxide. The epoxidation reaction was studied with respect to the influence of the structure on the rate and extent of epoxidation. A study of the photoinduced cationic crosslinking of these oligomers and polymers was carried out in the presence of UV fight. Specialized photoinitiators consisting of diaryliodonium salts bearing long alkoxy chains attached to the aromatic rings were prepared and used in these studies. The effects of the structure of the epoxidized elastomer, its level of epoxidation, and the concentration and type of photoinitiator on the rate and extent of crosslinking polymerization were studied.