Synthesis of traditional and ionic polymethacrylates by anion catalyzed group transfer polymerization

The hydrophobic ionic liquid 1‐butyl‐1‐methylpyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide was successfully used as solvent in group transfer polymerization of traditional methacrylates (methyl methacrylate, n‐butyl methacrylate, and benzyl methacrylate) and of ionic liquid methacrylates (ILMAs). This demonstrates that this ionic liquid makes reaction conditions, which do not require the use of ultra‐dried solvents. The ILMAs were N‐2‐(methacryloyloxy)ethyl]‐N,N‐dimethyl‐N‐alkylammonium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imides bearing methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl, or hexyl substituents. Increasing size of the alkyl substituent at the cation results in decreasing glass transition temperature in case of both ionic liquid methacrylates and polymers derived of them. Furthermore, the glass transition temperature is significantly higher for these polymers compared with the ionic liquid methacrylates, and the effect of glass transition temperature reduction with increasing size of the alkyl substituent is stronger for the polymers. A mechanism was proposed explaining the catalytic function of the ionic liquid used as solvent for polymerization. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2015 , 53, 2849–2859