Schlenk Techniques for Anionic Polymerization

Kedar Ratkanthwar, Junpeng Zhao, Hefeng Zhang, Nikos Hadjichristidis, Jimmy Mays

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

9 Scopus citations

Abstract

Anionic polymerization-high vacuum techniques (HVTs) are doubtlessly the most prominent and reliable experimental tools to prepare polymer samples with well-defined and, in many cases, complex macromolecular architectures. Due to the high demands for time and skilled technical personnel, HVTs are currently used in only a few research laboratories worldwide. Instead, most researchers in this filed are attracted to more facile Schlenk techniques. The basic principle of this technique followed in all laboratories is substantially the same, i.e. the use of alternate vacuum and inert gas atmosphere in glass apparatus for the purification/charging of monomer, solvents, additives, and for the manipulation of air-sensitive compounds such as alkyl metal initiators, organometallic or organic catalysts. However, it is executed quite differently in each research group in terms of the structure of Schlenk apparatus (manifolds, connections, purification/storage flasks, reactors, etc.), the use of small supplementary devices (soft tubing, cannulas, stopcocks, etc.) and experimental procedures. The operational methods are partly purpose-oriented while also featured by a high flexibility, which makes it impossible to describe in detail each specific one. In this chapter we will briefly exemplify the application of Schlenk techniques for anionic polymerization by describing the performance of a few experiments from our own work.
Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationAnionic Polymerization
PublisherSpringer Nature
Pages3-18
Number of pages16
ISBN (Print)9784431541851
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 1 2015

Bibliographical note

KAUST Repository Item: Exported on 2020-10-01

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