‘Living’ cationic copolymerization of isobutyl vinyl ether with methyl vinyl ether: copolymerization parameters and properties of the copolymers

The copolymerization of isobutyl vinyl ether (IBVE) with methyl vinyl ether (MVE), initiated by the system 1,1-diethoxyethane/trimethylsilyl iodide/zinc iodide and conducted at 0°C in toluene, was found to be ‘living’ just as the homopolymerizations of these monomers. Monomer reactivity ratios are rIBVE = 1.08 and rMVE = 0.43. The lower critical solution temperature of polyMVE in water, situated around 37°C, was lowered to 10°C (for a 0.25 wt.-% solution) when 6 mol-% of IBVE units were introduced in copolymers of molar mass 3000 - 7000 g/mol. At higher IBVE contents, the polymers are insoluble in water at all temperatures.