Abstract
Oxygen tolerance in controlled radical polymerizations has been an active field of study in recent years. Herein, we report a photocontrolled, additive-free iniferter polymerization that operates in completely open vials utilizing the "polymerizing through oxygen" mechanism. Trithiocarbonates are directly activated with high intensity 450 nm light to produce narrowly dispersed (Mw/Mn = 1.1-1.6) polyacrylates and polyacrylamides. Living behavior is demonstrated through chain extension, block copolymer synthesis, and control over molecular weight through varying the monomer:iniferter ratio. A slight increase in induction period is observed for the open vial polymerization compared to the air-free reaction, but polymers with similar Mn and Mw/Mn values are produced after 30-60 minutes of irradiation. This system will provide a convenient platform for living additive manufacturing because of its fast reaction time, air tolerance, wide monomer scope, and lack of any additives beyond the monomer, iniferter, and DMSO solvent.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1585-1590 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Polymer Chemistry |
| Volume | 10 |
| Issue number | 13 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Apr 7 2019 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:The authors thank C. Perkinson and Prof. M. Bawendi for their help with the absolute irradiance measurements. We acknowledge the National Science Foundation (NSF CHE-1629358) for support of this work. This work was supported in part by the MRSEC Program of the NSF under award DMR 14-19807. J. R. L. gratefully acknowledges the National Institutes of Health for a postdoctoral fellowship (1F32GM126913-01A1).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 The Royal Society of Chemistry.
