LIGATED ANIONIC-POLYMERIZATION - AN INNOVATIVE ELF-ATOCHEM TECHNOLOGYFOR THE POLYMERIZATION OF (METH)ACRYLATES

Admittedly performing materials, (meth)acrylic polymers, used in a wid e variety of applications, are traditionally produced by radical polym erization processes. The extension of living polymerization, originall y developed for dienes and vinyl-aromatics, to (meth)acrylic polymers, would be an interesting opening to a variety of products with a large scope of properties and applications. However, this method suffers fr om chemical and technical limitations when applied to (meth)acrylates under the usual conditions of solvent and temperature. We report how a lkoxy alkoxides-based systems combined with a recent Elf Atochem proce ss offer attractive conditions for ultra-fast anionic polymerization o f (meth)acrylates at high solid content. Applications to cost effectiv e syndiotactic poly(methyl methacrylate) and block copolymers synthese s are described.