A. B. Dwyer, P. Chambon, A. Town, T. He, A. Owen and S. P. Rannard
Polym. Chem., 2014,5, 3608-3616
DOI:
10.1039/C4PY00182F,
Paper
Despite it being used widely as a precipitant for poly(n-butyl methacrylate), p(nBuMA), Cu-catalysed atom transfer radical polymerisation has been conducted in anhydrous methanol. Successful polymerisation (50 wt% monomer) was achieved at 60 °C and 25 °C, reaching high molecular weights (up to Mn = 75 880 g mol−1), low dispersities (as low as Đ = 1.02) and high conversions without measurable molecular weight broadening. Cloud point behaviour (upper critical solution temperature) and the role of monomer co-solvency are studied and polymerisation comparisons are made with ATRP in isopropanol and in methanol with different ligands.