PMDETA as an efficient catalyst for bulk reversible complexation mediated polymerization (RCMP) in the absence of additional metal salts and deoxygenation

Abstract

Reversible-deactivation radical polymerization (RDRP) represents one of the most rapid developments in functional polymer synthesis with a well-defined structure and architecture. In this work, N,N,N′,N′′,N′′-pentamethyldiethylenetriamine (PMDETA) without any metal salts was used as an efficient catalyst for reversible complexation mediated polymerization (RCMP) of methyl methacrylate (MMA) in bulk. The polymerization showed typical features of RDRP. Importantly, well-defined polymers with controllable molecular weights and narrow molecular weight distributions were obtained in the absence of any additional deoxygenation. PMDETA as a catalyst for RCMP not only could simplify the polymerization process and post-treatment but also would be applicable as one of the most robust and powerful techniques for polymer synthesis.