Heterogeneous Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization of Methyl Methacrylate at Low Metal Salt Concentrations

The heterogeneous atom transfer radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate using the catalyst complex CuBr/1,1,4,7,10,10-hexamethyltriethylene tetramine (CuBr/HMTETA) was undertaken under a number of conditions to elucidate the effects of key process variables. It was found that a 100-fold reduction in metal salt concentration, to 21 ppm in solution (metal to intiator = 0.01:1), reduced polymerization rates 3-fold. PMMA produced at these low …