Atom transfer radical polymerizations of (meth)acrylic monomers and isoprene

Atom transfer radical polymerizations (ATRP) of methyl methacrylate (MMA), ethyl acrylate (EA), and isoprene through the use of CuBr/N,N,N ' ,N ' ,N " -pentamethyl diethylenetriamine catalyst and ethyl bromoproprionate initia tor were studied as a function of polymerization parameters. Chemical struc ture, percentage yield and molecular weight of products were analyzed by gr avimetry, FTIR, H-1-NMR and GPC techniques. Polymerized products having a c onsiderable high percentage yield was obtained from the polymerization of M MA and EA. The percentage yield and molecular weight of PMMA increased with reaction temperature, reaction time, monomer concentration and initiator c ontent. There was also an optimum catalyst content corresponding to the max imum yield and molecular weight of PMMA. The polymerization of EA also show ed a similar trend. ATRP of isoprene, however, resulted in only a trace amo unt of product, irrespective of reaction parameters. The low product yield from the ATRP of isoprene was attributed to a poor solubility of CuBr and t ris[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl]amine catalyst in isoprene and the limited react ion temperature, (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.