Polymers and copolymers prepared or modified by using cobalt complexes

A polymerization process comprising the steps of:

• admixing a halogen-containing compound, monomer, and a cobalt complex selected from the group consisting of cobaloxime, organocobaloxime, cobalt porphyrin, and mixtures thereof, wherein the halogen-containing compound is a polymer containing at least one carbon-halogen bond having the halogen atom bound pendant to the polymer backbone, bound to an organic group that is pendent to the polymer backbone, or bound at the polymer chain end, and the cobalt complex reacts with the at least one carbon-halogen bond to form a radical capable of participating in a catalytic chain transfer or pseudo-living polymerization process.

A process for forming a methacrylate-functionalized polymer comprising the steps of:

• admixing a halogen-containing polymer containing at least one carbon-halogen bond having the halogen atom bound pendent to the polymer backbone, bound to an organic group that is pendent to the polymer backbone, or bound at the polymer chain end, a cobalt complex selected from the group consisting of cobaloxime, organocobaloxime, cobalt porphyrin, and mixtures thereof, and a methacrylate ester, and
• heating the admixture, wherein the halogen-containing compound is a polymer containing at least one carbon-halogen bond having the halogen atom bound pendant to the polymer backbone, at the polymer chain end, or both, and the cobalt complex reacts with the at least one carbon-halogen bond to form a radical capable of participating in a catalytic chain transfer process with the methacrylate ester.

A process for forming polyacrylate-functionalized polymer comprising the steps of:

• admixing a halogen-containing polymer containing at least one carbon-halogen bond having the halogen atom bound pendent to the polymer backbone, bound to an organic group pendant to the polymer backbone, or bound at the polymer chain end, a cobalt complex selected from the group consisting of cobaloxime, organocobaloxime, cobalt porphyrin, and mixtures thereof, and acrylate monomer, and
• heating the admixture, wherein the cobalt complex reacts with the at least one carbon-halogen bond to form a radical capable of participating in a pseudo-living polymerization process with the acrylate monomer.