‘Living’ radical polymerization of styrene with AIBN/FeCl3/PPh3 initiating system via a reverse atom transfer radical polymerization process

✍ Scribed by Xiao-Ping Chen; Kun-Yuan Qiu

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2000
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 109 KB
• Volume: 49
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0959-8103
• DOI: 10.1002/1097-0126(200011)49:11<1529::aid-pi564>3.0.co;2-b

✦ Synopsis

Well-de®ned polystyrenes with an a-C(CH 3 ) 2 (CN) and an v-chlorine atom end-groups, and narrow polydispersity (M n = 3000±4000 g mol À1 , M w /M n = 1.3±1.4) have been synthesized by a radical polymerization process using 2,2'-azobisisobutyronitrile(AIBN)/FeCl 3 /PPh 3 initiation system. When the ratio of [St] 0 :[AIBN] 0 :[FeCl 3 ] 0 :[PPh 3 ] 0 is 200:1:4:12 at 110 °C, the radical polymerization is `living', but the molecular weight of the polymers is not well-controlled. The polymerization mechanism belongs to a reverse atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). Because the polymer obtained is end-functionalized by a chlorine atom, it can then be used as a macroinitiator to perform a chain extension polymerization in the presence of CuCl/2,2'-bipyridine catalyst system via a conventional ATRP process. The presence of a chlorine atom as an end-group was determined by 1 H NMR spectroscopy.