Competitive functionalization and chain scission on segmented polymers: Chain length and chain length distribution in the reacted polymers
Abstract
In the functionalization of segmented polymers at every junction site between the segments, chain scission is an unavoidable competitive reaction in most cases. The influence of the process selectivity on the weight and number average numbers of segments in the reacted polymer (Nw and Nn) was thus analysed as a function of the precursor characteristics such as its length (number of segment N0), its polydispersity (monodisperse or most probable distribution), the functionality of the short junction unit between the segments (number of reaction sites f=1 or 2). Simple relations of the type Nw=f(No,w,f,p) where p is the probability of chain scission for an elementary reaction are calculated for finite initial chains. © 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.