Liquid marbles have been shown to be a novel micro-reactor to synthesize polyperoxides by the radical alternating copolymerization of the 1,3-diene monomer with oxygen in a good yield. Oxygen gas is effectively absorbed as a comonomer by the large and permeable gas–liquid interface of the liquid marbles.

•Single functional unit responds to dual stimuli, temperature and light.•Lower critical solution temperature-type phase separation in the organic solvents.•Control of the lower critical solution temperature by the structure of homopolymers.•Control of thermoresponsive properties by photoreaction of the coumarin units.Thermoresponsive properties of poly(7-methacryloyloxycoumarin) (P1a) and its derivatives as homopolymers containing a photoreactive coumarin unit were systematically investigated. P1a showed a lower critical solution temperature (LCST)-type phase separation in dichloromethane, chloroform, and 1,1,2-trichloroethane. The temperature producing a 50% transmittance (Tc) of 0.1 wt% P1a in distilled chloroform was 26 °C, while the Tc value decreased to 21 °C in deuterated chloroform i.e., the deuterium isotope effect. The Tc values in chloroform were adjustable from 28 to 57 °C by the introduction of the ethyleneoxy spacer and the substitution of α-methyl group by hydrogen. While the polymers containing 4-substituted coumarins were soluble in chloroform and dichloromethane from 0 °C to their boiling points. In the distilled chloroform solution, the coumarin units in P1a underwent a [2 + 2] cycloaddition and the transmittance at 500 nm decreased from 98% to 29% at 25 °C by a 180-s photoirradiation (326 mJ/cm2, emission band at 365 nm).

•The copolymers were investigated as dismantlable pressure-sensitive adhesives.•The copolymers underwent deprotection and cross-linking by external stimuli.•The reactions of the copolymers induced a decrease in 180° peel strength.•The effects of the copolymer compositions on dismantlability were revealed.•Spontaneous and complete removal of the adhesive layer were achieved.Acetal-protected acrylic copolymers consisting of 1-isobutoxyethyl acrylate (iBEA), 2-ethylhexyl acrylate (2EHA), and 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate (HEA) repeating units were applied to the pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) types of dismantlable adhesives. The random and block copolymers with a relatively high HEA content showed good PSA properties before dismantling treatment. The deprotection of the acetal-protected group of the iBEA unit took place in response to individual external stimuli, soaking in boiling water and UV irradiation in the presence of a photoacid generator. The random copolymers containing an HEA unit of more than 10 mol% and an iBEA unit of more than 70 mol% achieved spontaneous debonding with interfacial failures at both the stainless steel and polyethylene terephthalate support film sides by soaking in boiling water within 10 min, whereas the corresponding block copolymer did not achieve interfacial failure even after a 20-min soaking. Photoirradiation of the random copolymers containing N-hydroxynaphthalimide triflate as a photoacid generator resulted in interfacial failures at both sides with a sufficiently reduced peel strength, where cross-linking arose due to the transacetalization and transesterification of a hydroxy group in the HEA unit along with deprotection.

Free radical bulk and solution polymerizations of a divinyl monomer, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA), in the presence of methyl 2-(bromomethyl)acrylate as an addition–fragmentation chain transfer agent were investigated to synthesize thermally curable hyperbranched polymers by a one-step reaction. Soluble polymers were obtained up to high conversion of EGDMA, and the molecular weight and molecular weight distribution of the polymers increased with increasing EGDMA conversion. 1H NMR and MALDI-MS analyses revealed that the soluble polymers were obtained after the consumption of a considerable amount of the pendant methacryloyl groups, and one polymer chain contained a number of end groups indicating the formation of hyperbranched polymers. The isolated hyperbranched polymers underwent thermal curing above 110 °C without curing agents, and the polymers having a large number of pendant methacryloyl groups resulted in a significant increase in glass transition temperature, i.e., from around room temperature to above 210 °C.

The reversible control of the thickness of polymer thin films was investigated using (meth)acrylic polymers containing photoreactive coumarin derivative units in the side chain. Coumarin derivative units underwent dimerization and the reverse-dimerization by photoirradiation and were used as a reversible cross-linking point. The homopolymer of 7-methacryloyloxy-4-methylcoumarin (Tg = 194 °C) did not cause changes in film thickness after photoreactions. The homopolymer of 7-(2′-acryloyloxyethoxy)-4-methylcoumarin (AEMC) (Tg = 89 °C) decreased 19% of film thickness by photodimerization and 73% of the decreased thickness was recovered after the reverse-dimerization and the subsequent thermal annealing at 130 °C. The reverse-dimerization of the copolymer of AEMC and n-butyl acrylate (AEMC content = 19 mol%, Tg = 11 °C) resulted in 53% of recovery from the decreased film thickness without annealing. The mobility of polymer main-chain was revealed to be essential factor to change film thickness by photoreactions. Photodimerization of coumarin derivative units in low glass transition temperature (Tg) tended to proceed faster than in high Tg polymers and resulted in larger decrease in film thickness.

We report the organotellurium-mediated living radical polymerization (TERP) using diphenylditelluride (DT-Ph) and di-n-butylditelluride (DT-Bu) in the presence of a binary azo initiator system consisting of 2,2′-azobis(isobutyronitrile) (AIBN) and 2,2′-azobis(4-methoxy-2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile) (AMVN) with different decomposition rates for the facile synthesis of high-molecular-weight block copolymers containing a polar side group. The block copolymers containing the poly(tert-butyl acrylate) (PtBA) sequence as the reactive segment and the random copolymer sequences of n-butyl acrylate (nBA) or 2-ethylhexyl acrylate (2EHA) with 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate (HEA) as the adhesive segment were synthesized. The concurrent use of the binary initiators was revealed to effectively increase both the polymerization reactivity and the molecular weight of the polymers along with a narrow molecular weight distribution. The produced block copolymers exhibited high performance for the dismantlable adhesion responsible for the dual external stimuli consisting of photoirradiation and postbaking in the presence of a photoacid generator.

We have demonstrated the validity of a new type of pressure-sensitive adhesion system using block copolymers containing a poly(2-ethylhexyl acrylate) (P2EHA) segment as the low glass transition temperature polymer and a poly(tert-butyl acrylate) (PtBA) or poly(isobornyl acrylate) (PIBoA) segment as the reacting polymer in the presence of a photoacid generator (PAG). This adhesion system can be easily debonded because of a change in the polymer properties of the adhesives by acid-catalyzed deprotection uniquely occurring during the photoirradiation followed by postbaking. We investigated the transformation of PtBA and PIBoA into poly(acrylic acid) using IR spectroscopy and a thermogravimetric analysis in the presence of p-toluenesulfonic acid and the PAGs. The block copolymers with a well-defined molecular structure were then synthesized by atom transfer radical polymerization, and their adhesive properties were evaluated using the 180° peel test. The block copolymers showed superior adhesion property than a random copolymer and polymer blends, due to the microphase separation of the block copolymers. A drastic change in the adhesive strength of the block copolymers was observed in response to the dual external stimuli consisting of UV irradiation and the subsequent heating.Keywords: acrylic polymer; block copolymer; dismantlable adhesion; living radical polymerization; photoacid generator; pressure-sensitive adhesive;

Block copolymers consisting of readily degradable polyperoxides and non-degradable vinyl polymers as the block segments were successfully synthesized by reversible chain transfer catalyzed polymerization, which is one of living radical polymerization techniques. The block copolymers showed characteristic morphology and wettability being different from the polymer blends. When block copolymers containing polyperoxide and polymethacrylate blocks were heated below 150 °C, the polyperoxide blocks were completely degraded and the polymethacrylate blocks were recovered without degradation. Block copolymers containing a poly(2-ethylhexyl methacrylate) block were then investigated as a dismantlable adhesion material, which requires adequate bonding strength during use and easy debonding on demand. Among the several block copolymers, the one consisting of poly(2-ethylhexyl methacrylate) and polyperoxide from methyl sorbate (PPMS) (Mn = 4900) exhibited good performance as a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA). After heating the test specimens in a temperature range from 60 to 100 °C, PSA performance, which was evaluated by 180° peel strength and shear holding power measurements, was significantly diminished. Especially, after heating at 100 °C for 1 h, spontaneous debonding of some test specimens was observed because of the evolution of volatile acetaldehyde from PPMS.Keywords: block copolymer; degradable polymer; morphology; polyperoxide; pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA); wettability;

Polyperoxides containing peroxy bonds as the main-chain repeating units are a new class of degradable polymers because of significant changes in their molecular weight and physical properties during a degradation process. In this study, the application of linear and network polyperoxides to dismantlable adhesion was investigated. When the linear polyperoxide obtained from methyl sorbate and oxygen (PP-MS) was used as a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA), its shear holding power and 180° peel strength immediately decreased upon heating at 70 °C or under UV irradiation. Low-molecular-weight products, which were generated by the degradation of PP-MS, behaved as a plasticizer to effectively reduce the cohesive force. The adhesive properties of two types of polyperoxides-based network polymers, the cross-linking point and main-chain degradable network polymers, were evaluated. A cross-linking point degradable network polymer was produced by the oxygen cross-linking of dienyl-functionalized poly(ethylene glycol). A main-chain degradable network polymer was formed by the diisocyanate cross-linking of a hydroxy-functionalized polyperoxide. Both network polymers showed a higher adhesive strength than PP-MS due to their three-dimensional network structure. Noteworthy, the adhesive strength of the main-chain degradable network polymer was varied from the level of PSA to structural adhesives by increasing the added amount of the diisocyanate cross-linker. After heating at 110 °C, the cohesive and adhesive strengths significantly decreased. The linear and network polyperoxides are shown to be promising materials for dismantlable adhesion.Keywords: chain degradation; cohesive properties; degradable polymer; dismantlable adhesion; network polymer

Liquid marbles have been shown to be a novel micro-reactor to synthesize polyperoxides by the radical alternating copolymerization of the 1,3-diene monomer with oxygen in a good yield. Oxygen gas is effectively absorbed as a comonomer by the large and permeable gas–liquid interface of the liquid marbles.