Copper Removal in Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization through Electrodeposition

✍ Scribed by Mohamad Nasser-Eddine; Christelle Delaite; Philippe Dumas; Rame Vataj; Alain Louati

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2004
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 81 KB
• Volume: 289
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1438-7492
• DOI: 10.1002/mame.200300221

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Summary: We describe the removal of copper from atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) through electrochemistry. tert‐Butyl methacrylate ATRP initiated by a PEO macroinitiator was run with CuBr complexed by N‐alkyl‐2‐pyridylmethanimine (Schiff base) or 2,2′‐bipyridyl (bpy) as catalyst. Voltammetry experiments using a CuBr/(Schiff base N‐morpholine‐2‐pyridylmethanimine)~2~ complex on a Pt electrode shows an oxidation peak of the ligand at 1.2 V permitting the oxidative destruction of the complex and so the elimination of copper. Using a Hg electrode, it is possible to directly reduce these complexes (at −2.1 V for the morpholine‐2‐pyridylmethanimine, −2.19 V for the butyl‐2‐pyridylmethanimine, and −2.25 V for the bpy). This complex reduction, followed by the formation of a copper amalgam, leads to the quantitative removal of copper and proceeds without polymer degradation.

The electrochemical removal of copper from the ATRP reaction.

magnified imageThe electrochemical removal of copper from the ATRP reaction.