Monoaryloxo ytterbium(III) chlorides supported by β‐diketiminato ligands as novel initiators for the living ring‐opening polymerization of ε‐caprolactone

Ring‐opening polymerization of ε‐caprolactone (ε‐CL) was carried out using β‐diketiminato‐supported monoaryloxo ytterbium chlorides L¹Yb(OAr)Cl(THF) (1) [L¹ = N,N′‐bis(2,6‐dimethylphenyl)‐2,4‐pentanediiminato, OAr = 2,6‐di‐tert‐butylphenoxo‐], and L²Yb(OAr′)Cl(THF) (2) [L² = N,N′‐bis(2,6‐diisopropylphenyl)‐2,4‐pentanediiminato, OAr′ = 2,6‐di‐tert‐butyl‐4‐methylphenoxo‐], respectively, as single‐component initiator. The influence of reaction conditions, such as polymerization temperature, polymerization time, initiator, and initiator concentration, on the monomer conversion, molecular weight, and molecular weight distribution of the resulting polymers was investigated. Complex 1 was well characterized and its crystal structure was determined. Some features and kinetic behaviors of the CL polymerization initiated by these two complexes were studied. The polymerization rate is first order with respect to monomer. The M_n of the polymer increases linearly with the increase of the polymer yield, while polydispersity remained narrow and unchanged throughout the polymerization in a broad range of temperatures from 0 to 50 °C. The results indicated that the present system has a “living character”. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 1147–1152, 2006     

ATRP of butyl acrylates from functionalized carbon black surfaces

The functionalization of carbon black surface with atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) initiating sites and subsequent ATRP of n‐butyl acrylate (n‐BA) and t‐butyl acrylate (t‐BA) from the surface of carbon black is reported. The polymerizations were carried out using CuBr/N,N,N′,N″,N″‐pentamethyldiethylenetriamine as the primary catalytic system in anisole at 70 °C. The initiator density on carbon black surface was tuned and the effect of initiator density on the polymers grafted on the surface was illustrated. Polymerizations were also performed in the presence of a sacrificial initiator to indirectly monitor the molecular weight evolution of polymers formed in the system. Block copolymerization of t‐BA initiated from poly(n‐BA) grafted carbon black was conducted to achieve water‐dispersible carbon black composites after cleavage of the t‐butyl groups. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 4695–4709, 2005     

Atom transfer radical polymerization of styrene using the novel initiator ethyl 2‐N,N‐(diethylamino)dithiocarbamoyl‐butyrate

The atom transfer radical polymerizations (ATRPs) of styrene initiated by a novel initiator, ethyl 2‐N,N‐(diethylamino)dithiocarbamoyl‐butyrate (EDDCB), in both bulk and solution were successfully carried out in the presence of copper(I) bromide (CuBr) and N,N,N′,N″,N″‐pentamethyldiethylenetriamine at 115 °C. The polymerization rate was first‐order with respect to the monomer concentration, and the molecular weights of the obtained polymers increased linearly with the monomer conversions with very narrow molecular weight distributions (as low as 1.17) up to higher conversions in both bulk and solution. The polymerization rate was influenced by various solvents in different degrees in the order of cyclohexanone > dimethylformamide > toluene. The molecular weight distributions of the produced polymers in cyclohexanone were higher than those in dimethylformamide and toluene. The results of ¹H NMR analysis and chain extension confirmed that well‐defined polystyrene bearing a photo‐labile N,N‐(diethylamino)dithiocarbamoyl group was obtained via ATRP of styrene with EDDCB as an initiator. The polymerization mechanism for this novel initiation system is a common ATRP process. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 32–41, 2006     

Bulk atom transfer radical polymerization of allyl methacrylate

A detailed investigation of the polymerization of allyl methacrylate, a typical unsymmetrical divinyl compound containing two types of vinyl groups, methacryloyl and allyl, with quite different reactivities, was performed with atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). Homopolymerizations were carried out in bulk, with ethyl‐2‐bromoisobutyrate as the initiator and with copper halide (CuX, where X is Cl or Br) with N,N,N′,N″,N″‐pentamethyldiethylenetriamine as the catalyst system. Kinetic studies demonstrated that during the early stages of the polymerization, the ATRP process proceeded in a living manner with a low and constant radical concentration. However, as the reaction continued, the increased diffusion resistance restricted the mobility of the catalyst system and interrupted the equilibrium between the growing radicals and dormant species. The obtained poly(allyl methacrylate)s (PAMAs) were characterized with Fourier transform infrared, ¹H NMR, and size exclusion chromatography techniques. The dependence of both the gel point conversion and molecular characteristics of the PAMA prepolymers on different experimental parameters, such as the initiator concentration, polymerization temperature, and type of halide used as the catalyst, was analyzed. These real gel points were compared with the ones calculated according to Gordon's equation under the tentative assumption of equal reactivity for the two types of vinyl groups. Moreover, the microstructure of the prepolymers was the same as that exhibited by those homopolymers prepared by conventional free‐radical polymerization; the fraction of syndiotactic arrangements increased as the reaction temperature was lowered. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 2395–2406, 2005     

Concentration effects in the cationic ring‐opening polymerization of 2‐ethyl‐2‐oxazoline in N,N‐dimethylacetamide

The monomer concentration for the cationic ring‐opening polymerization of 2‐ethyl‐2‐oxazoline in N,N‐dimethylacetamide was optimized utilizing high‐throughput experimentation methods. Detailed ¹H‐NMR spectroscopic investigations were performed to understand the mechanistic aspects of the observed concentration effects. Finally, the improved polymerization concentration was applied for the synthesis of higher molecular weight (> 10,000 Da) poly(2‐ethyl‐2‐oxazoline)s. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 1487–1497, 2005     

Synthesis of poly(tetrahydrofuran)‐b‐polystyrene block copolymers from dual initiators for cationic ring‐opening polymerization and atom transfer radical polymerization

A dual initiator (4‐hydroxy‐butyl‐2‐bromoisobutyrate), that is, a molecule containing two functional groups capable of initiating two polymerizations occurring by different mechanisms, has been prepared. It has been used for the sequential two‐step synthesis of well‐defined block copolymers of polystyrene (PS) and poly(tetrahydrofuran) (PTHF) by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) and cationic ring‐opening polymerization (CROP). This dual initiator contains a bromoisobutyrate group, which is an efficient initiator for the ATRP of styrene in combination with the Cu(0)/Cu(II)/N,N,N′,N″,N″‐pentamethyldiethylenetriamine catalyst system. In this way, PS with hydroxyl groups (PS‐OH) is formed. The in situ reaction of the hydroxyl groups originating from the dual initiator with trifluoromethane sulfonic anhydride gives a triflate ester initiating group for the CROP of tetrahydrofuran (THF), leading to PTHF with a tertiary bromide end group (PTHF‐Br). PS‐OH and PTHF‐Br homopolymers have been applied as macroinitiators for the CROP of THF and the ATRP of styrene, respectively. PS‐OH, used as a macroinitiator, results in a mixture of the block copolymer and remaining macroinitiator. With PTHF‐Br as a macroinitiator for the ATRP of styrene, well‐defined PTHF‐b‐PS block copolymers can be prepared. The efficiency of PS‐OH or PTHF‐Br as a macroinitiator has been investigated with matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatography, and NMR. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 3206–3217, 2003     

Synthesis of polymers by template polymerization. I. Template polymerization of poly(methacrylic acid) with β‐cyclodextrin

A novel template monomer with multiple methacryloyl groups was synthesized with β‐cyclodextrin by the acetylation of primary hydroxyl groups and the esterification of secondary hydroxyl groups with methacrylic acid anhydride. The average number of methacryloyl groups in the monomer was 11. The radical polymerization of the monomer was carried out with the following initiators: α,α′‐azobisisobutylonitrile, H₂O₂? Fe²⁺ redox initiator, p‐xylyl‐N,N‐dimethyldithiocarbamate (XDC), and α‐bromo‐p‐xylyl‐N,N‐dimethyldithiocarbamate (BXDC). When the concentration of the monomer was less than 4.12 × 10^?3 M, polymerization was limited inside the molecule, and gelation of the system was hindered. For controlled radical photopolymerization with XDC and BXDC, the methacryloyl groups of the monomer were homogeneously polymerized, and poly(methacrylic acid) with a narrow molecular weight distribution was obtained by the hydrolysis of the polymerized products. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 39: 3539–3546, 2001     

Anionic polymerization of N,N‐dialkylacrylamides containing alkoxysilyl groups in the presence of Lewis acids

With Ph₂CHK as an initiator, the anionic polymerization of N‐propyl‐N‐(3‐triisopropoxysilylpropyl)acrylamide ( 4 ) and N‐propyl‐N‐(3‐triethoxysilylpropyl)acryl‐amide generated polymers with predicted molecular weights and narrow molecular weight distributions (MWDs) in the presence of Et₂Zn or Et₃B; however, the resulting polymers obtained in the absence of such Lewis acids had very broad MWDs. The results were ascribed to the coordination of the propagating anionic end to a relatively weak Lewis acid, in which the activity of the end anion was appropriately controlled for moderate polymerization without side reactions. A well‐defined diblock copolymer of 4 and N,N‐diethylacrylamide was also prepared with the binary initiating system of Ph₂CHK and Et₂Zn, whereas no such block copolymer was prepared by polymerization initiated with 1,1‐diphenyl‐3‐methylpentyllithium, as the propagating anion together with the lithium ion reacted with alkoxysilyl side groups on the poly( 4 ) backbone to produce grafted polymers with high molecular weights. The hydrolysis of the alkoxysilyl side groups of poly( 4 ) in acidic water yielded an insoluble gel. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 2754‐2764, 2005     

Synthesis of well‐defined naphthalene and photo‐labile group‐labeled polystyrene via ATRP

The atom transfer radical polymerizations of styrene were successfully carried out in bulk and solution, respectively, at 115 °C, with a novel photoiniferter reagent, (1‐naphthyl)methyl N,N‐diethyldithiocarbamate (NMDC), as an initiator in the presence of copper (I) bromide and N,N,N′,N″,N″‐pentamethyldiethylenetriamine. The results showed that NMDC was an effective initiator with high initiation efficiency for ATRP of St. The polymerization rate was first‐order with respect to the monomer concentration and the molecular weights of the obtained polystyrene (PS) increased linearly with the monomer conversion, with very narrow molecular weight distributions (M_w/M_n = 1.07–1.29). The functionalized naphthalene‐labeled PS bearing N,N‐(diethylamino)dithiocarbamoyl group which was confirmed by ¹H NMR analysis, and chain extension of the PS exhibited fluorescence and ultraviolet absorption in chloroform (CHCl₃). © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 510–518, 2006     

Influence of tertiary diamines on the synthesis of high‐molecular‐weight poly(1,3‐cyclohexadiene)

The living synthesis of poly(1,3‐cyclohexadiene) was performed with an initiator adduct that was synthesized from a 1:2 (mol/mol) mixture of N,N,N′,N′‐tetramethylethylenediamine (TMEDA) and n‐butyllithium. This initiator, which was preformed at 65 °C, facilitated the synthesis of high‐molecular‐weight poly(1,3‐cyclohexadiene) (number‐average molecular weight = 50,000 g/mol) with a narrow molecular weight distribution (weight‐average molecular weight/number‐average molecular weight = 1.12). A plot of the kinetic chain length versus the time indicated that termination was minimized and chain transfer to the monomer was eliminated when a preformed initiator adduct was used. Chain transfer was determined to occur when the initiator was generated in situ. The polymerization was highly sensitive to both the temperature and the choice of tertiary diamine. The use of the bulky tertiary diamines sparteine and dipiperidinoethane resulted in poor polymerization control and reduced polymerization rates (7.0 × 10⁻⁵ s⁻¹) in comparison with TMEDA‐mediated polymerizations (1.5 × 10⁻⁴ s⁻¹). A series of poly(1,3‐cyclohexadiene‐block‐isoprene) diblock copolymers were synthesized to determine the molar crossover efficiency of the polymerization. Polymerizations performed at 25 °C exhibited improved molar crossover efficiencies (93%) versus polymerizations performed at 40 °C (80%). The improved crossover efficiency was attributed to the reduction of termination events at reduced polymerization temperatures. The microstructure of these polymers was determined with ¹H NMR spectroscopy, and the relationship between the molecular weight and glass‐transition temperature at an infinite molecular weight was determined for polymers containing 70% 1,2‐addition (150 °C) and 80% 1,4‐addition (138 °C). © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 1216–1227, 2005     

Monodisperse polystyrene microspheres prepared by dispersion polymerization with microwave irradiation

Monodisperse polystyrene microspheres with diameters of 200–500 nm were prepared by dispersion polymerization with microwave irradiation with poly(N‐vinylpyrrolidone) as a steric stabilizer and 2,2′‐azobisisobutyronitrile as a radical initiator in an ethanol/water medium. The morphology, size, and size distribution of the polystyrene microspheres were characterized with transmission electron microscopy and photon correlation spectroscopy, and the formed films of the polystyrene dispersions were characterized with atomic force microscopy. The effects of the monomer concentration, stabilizer concentration, and initiator concentration on the size and size distribution of the polystyrene microspheres were investigated. The polystyrene microspheres prepared by dispersion polymerization with microwave irradiation were smaller, more uniform, and steadier than those obtained with conventional heating. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 2368‐2376, 2005     

The influence of a radical structure on the kinetics of photopolymerization

A radical initiation ability of new initiating systems in photopolymerization of 2‐ethyl‐2‐(hydroxymethyl)‐1,3‐propanediol triacrylate has been investigated and presented. The evaluation of alkyltriphenyl‐ and tetraalkylborates, iodonium salts, N‐alkoxypyridinium salts, maleimides, phthalimides, 1,3,5‐triazine derivatives and others as a free radical source in combination with suitable photosensitizer for radical polymerization of triacrylate is described. It is assumed that the photochemical decomposition of a coinitiator molecule results in formation of free radicals, which further initiate polymerization. The order of activity of free radical sources on kinetic of photopolymerization was also presented. Different initiator activity can be explained by the difference in the decomposition rate constant and the reactivity of radicals formed toward the double bond of monomer. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2017 , 55, 1575–1589     

Cuso4‐amine redox‐initiated radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate mediated by a CuCl2 complex: Homogeneous reverse ATRP

Kinetic results of CuSO₄/2,2'‐bipyridine(bPy)‐amine redox initiated radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) at 70 to 90 °C in dimethylsulfoxide suggest that such initiation is characteristic of a slow rate and a low initiator efficiency, but tertiary amines exhibit a relatively higher rate. UV‐Vis spectroscopy confirms the alpha‐amino functionality of PMMA chains. CuCl₂/bPy successfully mediates the redox‐initiated radical polymerization of MMA with aliphatic tertiary amines in a fashion of slow‐initiated reverse atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP), i.e. both the initiator efficiency of aliphatic tertiary amines and the average molecular weight of PMMA increase gradually, while the molecular weight distribution remains narrow but become broader with the conversions. As the PMMA chains contain alpha amino and omega C‐Cl moieties, UV‐induced benzophenone‐initiated radical polymerization and Cu^ICl/bPy‐catalyzed ATRP initiated from PMMA lead to block copolymers from terminal functionalities. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014 , 52, 2562‐2578     

A bidirectional ATRP‐NMRP initiator: The effect of nitroxide size on the rate of nitroxide‐mediated polymerization

An N‐alkoxyamine macroinitiator bearing a polymeric nitroxide cap was synthesized and used to investigate the effect of nitroxide size on the rate of nitroxide‐mediated radical polymerization (NMRP). This macroinitiator was prepared from asymmetric double‐headed initiator 9 , which contains both an α‐bromoester and an N‐alkoxyamine functionality. Poly(methyl methacrylate) was grown by atom transfer radical polymerization from the α‐bromoester end of this initiator, resulting in a macroinitiator (M_n = 31,000; PDI = 1.34) bearing a nitroxide cap permanently attached to a polymer chain. The polymerization kinetics of this macroinitiator in NMRP were compared with known N‐alkoxyamine initiator 1 . It was found that the rate of polymerization was unaffected by the size of the macromolecular nitroxide cap. It was confirmed that NMRP using this macroinitiator is a “living” process. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 2015–2025, 2007     

Photochemistry and photopolymerization activity of p-nitroaniline in the presence of N,N-dimethylaniline as a bimolecular photoinitiator system

The photoreduction behavior of p-nitroaniline (pNA) in the presence of N,N-dimethylaniline (DMA) induced by both steady-state (365 nm) and laser (337 nm) irradiation has been analyzed. The stoichiometry of the photoreduction reaction revealed that several amino radicals derived from DMA were generated by each photoreduced pNA molecule. The polymerization kinetics of the lauryl acrylate monomer (LA) photoinitiated by the pNA/DMA system has been studied by differential scanning photocalorimetry (Photo-DSC). The rate of polymerization was found to be proportional to the square root of both the incident light and the coinitiator DMA concentration. The order of the polymerization reaction with respect to monomer and initiator concentration was determined, as well as the polymerization behavior under aerobic conditions. The polymerization efficiency of this photoinitiated system was much higher than that obtained with conventional aromatic ketone photoinitiators. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 35: 3801–3812, 1997     

Graft polymerization of vinyl monomers inside macroporous polyacrylamide gel,cryogel, in aqueous and aqueous‐organic media initiated by diperiodatocuprate(III) complexes

Graft polymerization initiated by diperiodatocuprate(III) complex (Cu(III)) initiator was found to be an effective and convenient method for graft polymerization of vinyl monomers onto macroporous polyacrylamide gels, the so‐called cryogels (pAAm‐cryogels). The effect of time, temperature, monomer and initiator concentration during the graft polymerization in aqueous and aqueous‐organic media was studied. The graft polymerization of water‐soluble monomers as [2‐(methacryloyloxy)ethyl]‐trimethylammonium chloride, 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate, N‐isopropylacrylamide, and N,N‐dimethylacrylamide proceeds with higher grafting yield in aqueous medium, as compared with that in aqueous‐organic media. Graft polymerization in aqueous‐organic media such as water–DMSO solutions allows grafting of water‐insoluble monomers such as glycidyl methacrylate and N‐tert‐butylacrylamide with high grafting degrees of 100 and 410%, respectively. It was found that the deposition of initiator on the pore surface of cryogels promoted graft polymerization by facilitating the formation of the redox couple Cu(III)‐acrylamide group. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 1952–1963, 2006     

Quantification of ATRP initiator density on polymer latex particles by fluorescence labeling technique using copper‐catalyzed azide‐alkyne cycloaddition

We developed a novel fluorescence labeling technique for quantification of surface densities of atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) initiators on polymer particles. The cationic P(St‐CPEM‐C₄DMAEMA) and anionic P(St‐CPEM) polymer latex particles carrying ATRP‐initiating chlorine groups were prepared by emulsifier‐free emulsion polymerization of styrene (St), 2‐(2‐chloropropionyloxy)ethyl methacrylate (CPEM), and N‐n‐butyl‐N,N‐dimethyl‐N‐(2‐methacryloyloxy)ethylammonium bromide (C₄DMAEMA). ATRP initiators on the surface of polymer particles were converted into azide groups by sodium azide, followed by fluorescent labeling with 5‐(N,N‐dimethylamino)‐N′‐(prop‐2‐yn‐1‐yl)naphthalene‐1‐sulfonamide (Dansyl‐alkyne) by copper‐catalyzed azide‐alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC). The reaction time required for both azidation of ATRP‐initiating groups and successive fluorescence labeling of azide groups with Dansyl‐alkyne by CuAAC were investigated in detail by FTIR and fluorescence spectral measurement, respectively. The ATRP initiator densities on the cationic P(St‐CPEM‐C₄DMAEMA) and anionic P(St‐CPEM) particle surfaces were estimated to be 0.21 and 0.15 molecules nm^?2, respectively, which gave close agreement with values previously determined by a conductometric titration method. The fluorescence labeling through click chemistry proposed herein is a versatile technique to quantify the surface ATRP initiator density both on anionic and cationic polymer particles. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013 , 51, 4042–4051     

Living radical polymerization of acrylonitrile catalyzed by copper with a high concentration of radical initiator and its application in removal of Ag(I) after modification

In this study, we reported the synthesis of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) via living radical polymerization in N, N‐dimethylformamide using carbon tetrachloride as initiator, copper(II) chloride (CuCl₂)/hexamethylenetetramine as catalyst system, and 2,2‐azobisisobutyronitrile as a high concentration of thermal radical initiator. The polymerization proceeded in controlled/living manner as indicated by first‐order kinetics of the polymerization with respect to the monomer concentration, linear increase of the molecular weight with monomer conversion and narrow polydispersity. Higher polymerization rate and narrower molecular weight distributions were observed with CuCl₂ less than 50 ppm. The rate of polymerization showed a trend of increase along with temperature. The modified PAN containing amidoxime group was used for extraction of Ag(I) ions from aqueous solutions. The adsorption kinetics data indicated that the adsorption process followed pseudo‐second‐order rate model. The isotherm adsorption process could be described by the Freundlich isotherm model. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2013     

Atom transfer radical polymerization of cyclohexyl methacrylate at a low temperature

The atom transfer radical polymerization of cyclohexyl methacrylate (CHMA) is reported. Controlled polymerizations were performed with the CuBr/N,N,N′,N″,N″‐pentamethyldiethylenetriamine catalytic system with ethyl 2‐bromoisobutyrate as the initiator in bulk and different solvents (25 vol %) at 40 °C. The polymerization of CHMA in bulk resulted in a controlled polymerization, although the concentration of active species was relatively elevated. The addition of a solvent was necessary to reduce the polymerization rate, which was dependent on the dipole moment. Well‐controlled polymers were obtained in toluene, diphenyl ether, and benzonitrile solutions. Poly(cyclohexyl methacrylate) as a macroinitiator was used to synthesize the poly(cyclohexyl methacrylate)‐b‐poly(tert‐butyl methacrylate) block copolymer, which allowed a demonstration of its living character. In addition, two difunctional initiators, 1,4‐bis(bromoisobutyryloxy) benzene and 1,2‐bis(bromoisobutyryloxy) ethane, were used to initiate the atom transfer radical polymerization of CHMA. The experimental molecular weights of the obtained polymers were very close to the theoretical ones. These, along with the relative narrow molecular weight distributions, indicated that the polymerization was living and controlled. For confirmation, two different poly(tert‐butyl methacrylate)‐b‐poly(cyclohexyl methacrylate)‐b‐poly(tert‐butyl methacrylate) triblock copolymers were also synthesized. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 71–77, 2005     

Atom transfer radical copolymerization of acrylonitrile and ethyl methacrylate at ambient temperature

Copolymerization of acrylonitrile (AN) and ethyl methacrylate (EMA) using copper‐based atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) at ambient temperature (30 °C) using various initiators has been investigated with the aim of achieving control over molecular weight distribution. The effect of variation of concentration of the initiator, ligand, catalyst, and temperature on the molecular weight distribution and kinetics were investigated. No polymerization at ambient temperature was observed with N,N,N′,N′,N″‐pentamethyldiethylenetriamine (PMDETA) ligand. The rate of polymerization exhibited 0.86 order dependence with respect to 2‐bromopropionitrile (BPN) initiator. The first‐order kinetics was observed using BPN as initiator, while curvature in first‐order kinetic plot was obtained for ethyl 2‐bromoisobutyrate (EBiB) and methyl 2‐bromopropionate (MBP), indicating that termination was taking place. Successful polymerization was also achieved with catalyst concentrations of 25 and 10% relative to initiator without loss of control over polymerization. The optimum [bpy]₀/[CuBr]₀ molar ratio for the copolymerization of AN and EMA through ATRP was found to be 3/1. For three different in‐feed ratios, the variation of copolymer composition (F_AN) with conversion indicated toward the synthesis of copolymers having slight changes in composition with conversion. The high chain‐end functionality of the synthesized AN‐EMA copolymers was verified by further chain extension with methyl acrylate and styrene. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 1975–1984, 2006