One-pot synthesis of polyglycidol-containing block copolymers with alkyllithium initiators using the phosphazene base t-BuP4

One-pot synthesis of polyglycidol-containing block copolymers, poly(ethoxyethyl glycidyl ether) (PEEGE) with alkyllithium initiators using the phosphazene base -BuP4 was reported. PEEGE was synthesized through sequential anionic polymerization of the corresponding monomers using sec-BuLi as initiator. After stirring for 1 h, the temperature was slowly increased to 10°C followed by the addition of t-BuP4. The kinetics of EEGE polymerization was monitored during the synthesis of the PEO-b-PEEGE diblock copolymer using online FT-NIR spectroscopy in combination with a fiber-optic equipment. This new method reduces the need for time-consuming end-functionalization and purification steps, resulting in a novel and simple way of producing PEEGE containing block copolymers in a one-pot synthesis.