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Reversible complexation mediated polymerization of methacrylates using amine catalysts in aqueous heterogeneous systems

Polymer Journal volume 55, pages 1–12 (2023)Cite this article

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Abstract

The development of reversible deactivation radical polymerization in aqueous dispersed systems is important for directly preparing various functional polymers in a particulate state from their corresponding monomer species under environmentally friendly conditions. This study demonstrates reversible complexation mediated polymerization (RCMP) in the presence of an aqueous phase using various amine catalysts and monomers to investigate the effect of the hydrophobicity of amine catalysts and monomers on the polymerization control of RCMP in aqueous heterogeneous systems. The rational design of polymerization conditions, including the selection of the initiator, catalyst, molecular iodine (I2) concentration, temperature, and monomer hydrophobicity, facilitated the control of miniemulsion RCMP. The essential criteria for polymerization control were (i) sufficient hydrophobicity of initiators and catalysts to enable partitioning into the monomer phases, (ii) a suitable I2 concentration and temperature for improving polymerization control using long-alkyl chain amine catalysts, and (iii) sufficient hydrophobicity of the monomers to suppress water solubilization into the monomer phase. Finally, we demonstrated RCMP in miniemulsion systems (miniemulsion RCMP) using a suitable monomer and amine catalyst. This study on miniemulsion RCMPs facilitates the development of synthetic routes for functional polymers and particulate materials.

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Acknowledgements

The authors deeply appreciate Godo Shigen Co., Ltd. (Tokyo, Japan) for kindly supplying the iodide initiator. This study was partially supported by JSPS KAKENHI (Grant number 21H02004) and the Leading Initiative for Excellent Young Researchers, MEXT, Japan.

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  1. Department of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka Prefecture University, 1-1, Gakuen-cho, Naka-ku, Sakai, Osaka, 599-8531, Japan

    Yukiya Kitayama, Daiki Tokura & Atsushi Harada

  2. Department of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka Metropolitan University, 1-1, Gakuen-cho, Naka-ku, Sakai, Osaka, 599-8531, Japan

    Yukiya Kitayama & Atsushi Harada

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Kitayama, Y., Tokura, D. & Harada, A. Reversible complexation mediated polymerization of methacrylates using amine catalysts in aqueous heterogeneous systems. Polym J 55, 1–12 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41428-022-00715-y

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