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In Situ Monitoring of RAFT Polymerization by Tetraphenylethylene‐Containing Agents with Aggregation‐Induced Emission Characteristics
Author(s) -
Liu Shunjie,
Cheng Yanhua,
Zhang Haoke,
Qiu Zijie,
Kwok Ryan T. K.,
Lam Jacky W. Y.,
Tang Ben Zhong
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
angewandte chemie international edition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.831
H-Index - 550
eISSN - 1521-3773
pISSN - 1433-7851
DOI - 10.1002/anie.201803268
Subject(s) - raft , tetraphenylethylene , in situ , aggregation induced emission , reversible addition−fragmentation chain transfer polymerization , polymerization , chemistry , polymer chemistry , materials science , chemical engineering , radical polymerization , polymer , organic chemistry , fluorescence , engineering , optics , physics
A facile and efficient approach is demonstrated to visualize the polymerization in situ. A group of tetraphenylethylene (TPE)‐containing dithiocarbamates were synthesized and screened as agents for reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerizations. The spatial‐temporal control characteristics of photochemistry enabled the RAFT polymerizations to be ON and OFF on demand under alternating visible light irradiation. The emission of TPE is sensitive to the local viscosity change owing to its aggregation‐induced emission characteristic. Quantitative information could be easily acquired by the naked eye without destroying the reaction system. Furthermore, the versatility of such a technique was well demonstrated by 12 different polymerization systems. The present approach thus demonstrated a powerful platform for understanding the controlled living radical polymerization process.