Synthesis of lauryl methacrylate star‐like polymers via ATRP

Abstract Lauryl methacrylate (LMA) star‐like polymers were synthesized by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) using the ‘arm‐first’ method. Linear poly lauryl methacrylate (PLMA) precursors were firstly prepared with ethyl α‐bromoisobutyrate (EBriB) as initiator and cuprous chloride (CuCl)/N,N,N′,N″,N″‐pentamethyldiethylenetriamine (PMDETA) as catalyst in cyclohexanone via ATRP, and subsequently used as macromolecule initiator(MI) to synthesize star polymers in the presence of cross‐linker ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA). Several experimental parameters, such as the PLMA arm length, the ratio of MI to cross‐linker, the addition amount and moment of cross‐linker and the reaction time for the star formation were systematically investigated. The samples were removed at regular intervals and analyzed by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) to track Mn and Mw/Mn of star‐like polymer, by which the influence of the experimental parameters on the structures of the star‐like polymers was studied. Employing shorter arm lengths and more cross‐linker could produce star‐like polymers with higher molecular weight and more arms per star. Copyright © 2009 Curtin University of Technology and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.