Study Of Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization Of Methyl Methacrylate

Transition metal catalyzed atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) developed in 1995, which provids a new efficient way to conduct living/controlled radical polymerization. By using a simple alkyl halide, RX(X=C1 and Br), as an initiator and transition mental spiecies complexed by suitable ligands, as a catalyst, ATRP of vinyl monomers such as styrenes and methyl methacrylat proceed in a living fashion, yielding polymers with predetermined molecular weights and narrow molecular weight distributions.Precipitation polymerizations of methyl methacrylate (MMA) by ATRP, with cuprous bromide/1,10-phenanthroline monohydrate, cuprous bromide/PMDETA and cupric chloride/ascorbic acid/PMDETA as catalyst initiated by ethyl bromoacetate in ethanol solution, and bulk polymerizations of methyl methacrylate by ATRP, with cuprous bromide/1,10-phenanthroline monohydrate and cupric chloride/ascorbic acid/PMDETA as catalyst initiated by ethyl bromoacetate were carried out. The effects of reaction time, monomer concentration, initiator concentration and ascorbic acid concentration on polymerization of MMA were investigated; molecular weight and molecular weight distribution were characterized by GPC. The results show that MMA can be rapidly polymerized with high monomer conversion, PMMA with relative narrow molecular weight distribution can be synthesized, and precipitation polymerization and bulk polymerization of methyl methacrylate by ATRP possess characteristics of Controlled/"Living" radical polymerization.