Radical–Triplet Pair Interactions as Probes of Long-Range Polymer Motion in Solution
2014
Sim, Sooyeon | Forbes, Malcolm D. E.
Radical–triplet pair interactions are used to investigate the dynamics of acrylic polymers in dilute solution. Methyl methacrylate was randomly copolymerized with a small amount of an amine-containing monomer to create the polymers. The amine subunits were then oxidized to nitroxide moieties (stable free radicals). Using time-resolved electron paramagnetic resonance (TREPR) spectroscopy on the sub-microsecond time scale, competition is observed between two deactivation processes of the ester side chain photoexcited triplet state: (1) Norrish I α-cleavage, leading to a 21-line main chain polymeric free radical TREPR spectrum with emissive triplet mechanism spin polarization, and (2) spin polarization transfer or quenching by a nearby stable nitroxide radical, which gives a 3-line spectrum exhibiting emissive radical–triplet pair spin polarization. The main chain polymer radical signal dominates the TREPR spectrum if the probability of radical–triplet pair encounters is low. These competing reactions show a strong dependence on nitroxide incorporation (mol %), temperature, solvent, and acrylic polymer ester side chain structure. A comparison of steady state EPR and TREPR signals from inter- vs intramolecular processes clearly demonstrates the influence of polymer chain dynamics on the observed phenomena.
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