Photo-induced living cationic polymerization of isobutyl vinyl ether in the presence of various combinations of halides of diphenyliodonium and zinc salts in methylene chloride

Living nature of photoinduced cationic polymerization of isobutyl vinyl ether (IBVE) in the presence of various combinations of diphenyliodonium halide (DPIX), a photocationic initiator and zinc halide (ZnX2) in methylene chloride has been investigated. Attainment of 100 % conversion and a linear relationship between % conversion and number average molar mass of the resulting polymer, strongly suggests the living nature of this system. Livingness of the polymerization system was observed irrespective to the type of halide anion of the initiator and zinc salts unless the reaction temperature is not higher than -30 degreesC. The rate of polymerization decreases in the order of iodide > bromide > chloride when halide salt of DPIX and ZnX2 are used. It is postulated that the cationic initiation is started by the insertion of weakly basic monomer in to the activated C-X terminal of the monomer adduct which is a reaction product of monomer and HX, a photolytic product of DPIX, formed in situ during the photo-irradiation process. It was concluded that polymerization is initiated by the insertion of weakly basic monomer into activated C-X terminal of monomer adduct due to the pulling action of ZnX2, which successively producing a new polarized C-X terminal for the propagation in cationic nature. This led us to a conclusion that the living nature of this cationic polymerization is ascribable to the polarized C-X growing terminal, which is stable enough to depress the processes of chain transfer or termination process.