Radical polymerization of styrene in presence of poly(2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-N-oxyl-4-yl methacrylate) - formation of polymer brushes

Publication date: 24 February 2017
Source:Polymer, Volume 111
Author(s): Felix Lederle, Eike G. Hübner
The radical polymerization of styrene in presence of poly(2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-N-oxyl-4-yl methacrylate) (PTMA) is described. PTMA is a well-known polymer for organic radical batteries. Tetramethylpiperidine-N-oxyl (TEMPO) is the common reagent for nitroxide-mediated controlled radical polymerization (NMP). PTMA, as macromolecular counterpart of TEMPO, was found to lead to a partly controlled polymerization process. During the polymerization, large amounts of the graft copolymer PTMA-g-PS are formed via the grafting-to approach. No indication for insoluble gel formation at high conversion rates is observed. The isolated graft copolymers were characterized by dynamic light scattering and revealed hydrodynamic radii in the range of 30–50 nm. The polymerization in presence of PTMA offers a convenient way to the multigram-scale synthesis of bottle-brush polymers.

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