Photoinduced Synthesis of Block Copolymers by Combination of Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization and Photoinduced Radical Oxidation/Addition/Deactivation

Abstract

A new polymerization mechanistic transformation strategy, combining two different controlled polymerization techniques of different modes, atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) and photoinduced radical oxidation/addition/deactivation (PROAD), is successfully applied for the synthesis of block copolymers. Thus, mono- or bi- bromide functional polystyrenes (PS-Br or Br-PS-Br) synthesized by light induced ATRP were used as macroinitiator for the living cationic polymerization of isobutyl vinyl ether via PROAD process to give the corresponding block copolymers. In this way, depending on the structure of the macroinitiator, AB or ABA type block copolymers (PS-b-PIBVE or PIBVE-b-PS-b-PIBVE) were formed. The final polymers and precursor polymers were characterized by spectral and chromatographic analyses.