Photo-controlled/living radical polymerization mediated by 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl in inert atmospheres

The photo-controlled/living radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate using a nitroxide mediator was established in an inert atmosphere. The bulk polymerization was performed at room temperature using 4-methoxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl as the mediator and (2RS,2′RS)-azobis(4-methoxy-2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile) as the initiator in the presence of (4-tert-butylphenyl)diphenylsulfonium triflate as the accelerator by irradiation with a high-pressure mercury lamp. The photopolymerization in a N₂ atmosphere produced a polymer with a comparatively narrow molecular weight distribution; however, the experimental molecular weight was slightly different from the theoretical molecular weight. The Ar atmospheric polymerization also provided a polymer with the molecular weight distribution similar to that of the polymer obtained by the N₂ atmospheric polymerization. These inert atmospheric polymerizations more rapidly proceeded to produce polymers with narrower molecular weight distributions than the vacuum polymerization. The livingness of the Ar atmospheric polymerization was confirmed on the basis of the first-order time–conversion plots and conversion–molecular weight plots.