| Abstract: | Mesoporous zeolites such as MCM‐41 were found to serve as nano‐flasks for free radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA), where the formation of long‐lived propagating radicals was observed. Al‐MCM‐41 with a Lewis‐acidic aluminosilicate framework catalyzed living ring‐opening polymerization of cyclic esters such as δ‐valerolactone and ϵ‐caprolactone, to give narrow molecular‐weight‐distribution polyesters. With Ti‐MCM‐41, a titanate‐containing mesoporous silica, ring‐opening polymerization of δ‐valerolactone also took place to give a high molecular‐weight polyester. On the other hand, with Ti‐MCM‐41 in the presence of methylaluminoxane (MAO), ethylene was polymerized to give a high molecular‐weight, linear polyethylene. |
