Continuous poly(2-oxazoline) triblock copolymer synthesis in a microfluidic reactor cascade

Evelien Baeten; Bart Verbraeken; Richard Hoogenboom; Tanja Junkers

doi:10.1039/c5cc04319k

Continuous poly(2-oxazoline) triblock copolymer synthesis in a microfluidic reactor cascade

Chem Commun (Camb). 2015 Jul 25;51(58):11701-11704. doi: 10.1039/c5cc04319k. Epub 2015 Jun 24.

Authors

Evelien Baeten¹, Bart Verbraeken², Richard Hoogenboom², Tanja Junkers³

Affiliations

¹ Polymer Reaction Design Group, Institute for Materials Research (IMO), Universiteit Hasselt, Martelarenlaan 42, 3500 Hasselt, Belgium. [email protected].
² Supramolecular Chemistry Group, Department of Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry, Ghent University, Krijgslaan 291-S4, 9000 Gent, Belgium. [email protected].
³ Polymer Reaction Design Group, Institute for Materials Research (IMO), Universiteit Hasselt, Martelarenlaan 42, 3500 Hasselt, Belgium. [email protected] and IMEC associated lab IMOMEC, Wetenschapspark 1, 3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium.

PMID: 26104687
DOI: 10.1039/c5cc04319k

Abstract

Cationic ring-opening polymerizations of 2-oxazolines were investigated in continuous microflow reactors. Fast homopolymerizations of 2-ethyl-2-oxazoline (EtOx) and 2-n-propyl-2-oxazoline (nPropOx) were carried out up to 180 °C, yielding well-controlled polymers. Also well-defined diblock and triblock copolymers were produced in a microfluidic reactor cascade, demonstrating the high value of microflow synthesis for the built-up of advanced poly(2-oxazoline)-based polymers.