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Copper‐Mediated Polymerization without External Deoxygenation or Oxygen Scavengers
Author(s) -
Liarou Evelina,
Whitfield Richard,
Anastasaki Athina,
Engelis Nikolaos G.,
Jones Glen R.,
Velonia Kelly,
Haddleton David M.
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.201804205
Subject(s) - deoxygenation , polymerization , chemistry , monomer , radical polymerization , atom transfer radical polymerization , styrene , polymer , methacrylate , copper , photochemistry , polymer chemistry , organic chemistry , copolymer , catalysis
As a method for overcoming the challenge of rigorous deoxygenation in copper‐mediated controlled radical polymerization processes [e.g., atom‐transfer radical polymerization (ATRP)], reported here is a simple Cu 0 ‐RDRP (RDRP=reversible deactivation radical polymerization) system in the absence of external additives (e.g., reducing agents, enzymes etc.). By simply adjusting the headspace of the reaction vessel, a wide range of monomers, namely acrylates, methacrylates, acrylamides, and styrene, can be polymerized in a controlled manner to yield polymers with low dispersities, near‐quantitative conversions, and high end‐group fidelity. Significantly, this approach is scalable (ca. 125 g), tolerant to elevated temperatures, compatible with both organic and aqueous media, and does not rely on external stimuli which may limit the monomer pool. The robustness and versatility of this methodology is further demonstrated by the applicability to other copper‐mediated techniques, including conventional ATRP and light‐mediated approaches.