Activators Regenerated by Electron Transfer for Atom‐Transfer Radical Polymerization of (Meth)acrylates and Related Block Copolymers

Staying active: The title method allows continuous and controlled polymerization with significantly less Cu catalyst than is required for conventional atom-transfer radical polymerization (as low as 10−3 mol % vs. monomer). The CuI activator is constantly regenerated by a reducing agent, which compensates for any loss of CuI as a result of radical termination reactions (see scheme). Atom-transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) is a controlled or living radical polymerization (CRP) technique1, 2 that enables the preparation of new nanostructured materials that are not accessible by conventional free-radical polymerization (FRP). Reported herein is the ATRP of polar monomers such as (meth)acrylates and related…