Macromolecules, Vol.36, No.11, 3955-3959, 2003
Combining covalent and noncovalent cross-linking: A novel terpolymer for two-step curing applications
A terpolymer of poly(butyl acrylate) bearing terpyridine as well as oxetane units was synthesized by free radical polymerization and characterized using NMR, UV-vis, and GPC. Subsequently, UV-vis experiments indicated clearly a noncovalent cross-linking of the terpyridine moieties by addition of iron(II) ions. Moreover, the ability of covalent cross-linking was studied by polymerizing the oxetane rings utilizing Lewis acids. IR spectroscopy and DSC experiments clearly revealed the success of the combination of both steps when utilizing iron(II) ions and AICl(3).