A new approach for the polymerization of tetraphenyltetramethylcyclotetrasiloxane by an environmentally friendly catalyst called Maghnite-H+

Abstract

Abstract This work is devoted to the study of the cationic ring opening polymerization of tetraphenyltetramethylcyclotetrasiloxane (D4Ph,Me), using a solid green catalyst prepared by the activation of a natural clay by sulfuric acid (Maghnite-H+). This treatment leads to the spacing of the montmorillonite sheets due to the substitution of the existing interlayer cations by the protons of the acid. This consequence is clearly shown on the X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectrum. The polymerization reaction proceeded in bulk and under mild conditions. Various tests were carried out by changing the temperature, the time and the catalyst mass content in order to increase, at the same time, the yield of the reaction and the average molecular mass of the polyphenylmethylsiloxane (PPMS) obtained. The structure of the PPMS obtained was identified by infrared (IR), 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and 13C NMR analyses over different periods of time. The thermal behavior was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis. At the end, in order to show the role played by the Maghnite-H+ during the various reaction stages, a reaction mechanism was proposed.