Journal of Polymer Science Part A: Polymer Chemistry, Vol.55, No.23, 3875-3883, 2017
Molecular Sieves Supported Recyclable Catalyst for Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization Using Hydration Approach
Molecular Sieves (MS) were used as a recyclable support for atom transfer radical polymerization. The catalyst complex, CuBr2/ligand was supported on hydrated MS and used for the polymerization of benzyl methacrylate at room temperature in anisole. The polymerization using CuBr2/PMDETA (pentamethyl diethyltetraamine) catalyst that is physically held by the hydration of MS exhibited moderate control and produced catalyst free polymers (<0.1 ppm) with narrow molecular weight distribution (M-w/M-n <= 1.33). The polymerization occurred at the interface between the hydrated support and the solution containing initiator and monomer. The hydrated MS supported catalyst was recycled efficiently without a significant loss in activity. The polymerization proceeded in a "living"/controlled manner as was evident from first-order time conversion plots. The split kinetics experiment affirmed that there was no propagation in the solution in the absence of the supported catalyst. The reaction order plot showed zero-order dependence on the bulk initiator concentration in solution. The results of MS supported catalyst were compared to Na-clay supported catalyst system and the improved results were attributed to high self-diffusion coefficient and low diffusion activation energy of water on its surface. Published 2017.
Keywords:ATRP;molecular sieves;polymerization;supported aqueous-phase catalysis;supported catalyst;transitional metal