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Aqueous Copper(II) Photoinduced Polymerization of Acrylates: Low Copper Concentration and the Importance of Sodium Halide Salts
journal contribution
posted on 2016-05-17, 00:00 authored by Glen R. Jones, Richard Whitfield, Athina Anastasaki, David M. HaddletonPhotoinduced
metal-mediated radical polymerization is a rapidly
developing technique which allows for the synthesis of macromolecules
with defined molecular weight and narrow molecular weight distributions,
although typically exhibiting significant limitations in aqueous media.
Herein we demonstrate that the presence of alkali metal halide salts,
in conjunction with low copper concentration and UV irradiation, allows
for the controlled polymerization of water-soluble acrylates in aqueous
media, yielding narrow molecular weight distributions and high conversions.
Despite the aqueous environment which typically compromises polymer
end group fidelity, chain extensions have also been successfully performed
and different degrees of polymerization were targeted. Importantly,
no conversion was observed in the absence of UV light and the polymerization
could be switched “on” and “off” upon
demand, as demonstrated by intermittent light and dark periods and
thus allowing access to spatiotemporal control.