Random and block styrenic copolymers bearing both ammonium and fluorinated side‐groups

Abstract 1H,1H,2H,2H‐Perfluorooctyloxymethylstyrene (FS) was prepared and copolymerized with chloromethylstyrene (CMS). Conventional radical copolymerization of both these aromatic monomers led to poly(CMS‐co‐FS) random copolymers for which CMS was shown to be more reactive than the fluorinated comonomer. Their controlled radical copolymerization based on degenerative transfer, namely iodine transfer polymerization (ITP), led to various poly(CMS)‐b‐poly(FS) block copolymers. Molecular weights of poly(CMS‐co‐FS) copolymers reached 33,000 g mol−1 while those of poly(CMS)‐b‐ poly(FS) block copolymers were 22,000 g mol−1. Their composition ranged from 18 to 61 mol.% in FS. These copolymers were modified via a cationization step, aiming at replacing the chlorine atom in CMS unit by a trimethylammonium group, leading to the formation of cationic sites. The resulting functionalized copolymers exhibited different solubilities. If both copolymerization techniques led to water‐insoluble copolymers, the block architecture enabled incorporating lower FS proportion, resulting in more cationic sites. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011