Feasibility Analysis of Surface Mediation in Supported Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization

Supported catalysts are used in atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) to facilitate catalyst recovery and recycling. These catalysts consist of catalytic sites that are covalently tethered to larger supporting particles. It is generally believed that supported ATRP is a surface-mediated polymerization process; that is, both activation and deactivation reactions take place at the surface of the particles. However, recent experiments show …