Controlled Radical Polymerization at High Conversion: Bulk ICAR ATRP of Methyl Methacrylate

Methyl methacrylate (MMA) was polymerized in bulk via atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) with azobis(isobutyronitrile) (AIBN) and tert-butyl peroxybenzoate (TBPB) as initiator for continuous activator regeneration (ICAR). The ATRP was first carried out up to high conversion at 70 °C. When the system reached its glass state at about 94%, the polymerization temperature was elevated to 120 °C to maximize the conversion. Livingness of the …