Preparation and characterization of hydroxyl terminated poly(2-ethylhexyl acrylate) and poly(2-ethylhexyl acrylate-urethane)

A well-defined hydroxyl terminated poly(2-ethylhexyl acrylate) was prepared by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of 2-ethylhexyl acrylate, followed by the nucleophilic substitution of the bromo end group with N-methylethanolamine. Poly(2-ethylhexyl acrylate-urethane) was then synthesized by reacting the hydroxyl terminated poly(2-ethylhexyl acrylate) with toluene diisocyanate (TDI). The polymers were characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR), gel permeation chromatography (GPC), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis(TGA). The results showed that a hydroxyl terminated poly(2-ethylhexyl acrylate) with Mn of 2000 and OH functionality of about 1.80 was synthesized by ATRP. The glass transition temperature (Tg) of the hydroxyl terminated poly(2-ethylhexyl acrylate) was about -62°C, which was slightly higher than that of 2-ethylhexyl acrylate homopolymer. The decomposition temperature of the hydroxyl terminated poly(2-ethylhexyl acrylate) was around 409°C. Poly(2-ethylhexyl acrylate-urethane) with Mn of about 10200 was prepared by reacting hydroxyl terminated poly(2-ethylhexyl acrylate) with toluene diisocyanate (TDI), which had a glass transition temperature (Tg) of about -54°C.