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Visible-Light-Induced Reversible Complexation Mediated Living Radical Polymerization of Methacrylates with Organic Catalysts
journal contribution
posted on 2013-01-08, 00:00 authored by Akimichi Ohtsuki, Atsushi Goto, Hironori KajiPhotoinduced reversible complexation mediated polymerization
(photo-RCMP) was developed as a new photoinduced living radical polymerization
(LRP). It consisted of an alkyl iodide as a dormant species and an
amine as a catalyst, using visible light at 350–600 nm. The
amine catalysts include such common compounds as tributylamine. Mechanistically,
the polymerization is induced by the photolysis of the dormant species
and dormant species/catalyst complex, which frequently occurs as the
main activation process. The polymer molecular weight and its distribution
(Mw/Mn = 1.1–1.4)
were well controlled in the polymerizations of methyl methacrylate
and some functional methacrylates up to fairly high conversions in
many cases. Perfectly no polymerization took place without photoirradiation,
meaning that the system is an ideal photo “on”–“off”
switchable system. The polymerization rate was also finely tunable
by the external irradiation power. Attractive features of photo-RCMP
include the uses of inexpensive compounds and visible light, good
polydispersity control, good tolerance to functional groups, and fine
response to external photoirradiation.