This is a Small Grant for Exploratory Research (SGER). A novel technique involving the initiation of cationic polymerization using metal ions is being explored. In the experiment, Al+ or Cu+ ions are generated in the gas phase by pulsed laser vaporization/ionization of a metal target using the second harmonic of a Nd:YAG laser (532 nm). The ions are pulled toward a monomer liquid (isobutylene which can only be polymerized by cationic mechanisms) by applying appropriate electric fields across the reaction chamber. Under different experimental conditions (temperature, pressure of a carrier gas, laser energy, electric field strength, reaction time) different polymeric products (viscous liquids or solids) were obtained with average molecular weights ranging from 285 to greater than 40,000. Full characterization of these materials is currently in progress. Experiments are in progress to extend the scope of this discovery to include transition-metal ions, mixed metal ions, copolymerization, etc. This technique could lead to a powerful approach for the synthesis of a wide variety of polymeric materials with unique properties such as stability, strength, and photo/electrical conductivity.
