Ultrasonically enhanced bulk ATRP of methyl methacrylate at high conversion with good livingness and control

A great challenge in controlled radical polymerization such as atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) has been related to keep the livingness and molecular weight control of the reaction at high conversion, especially in bulk polymerization. The objective of this work is to investigate the effects of ultrasound power on the polymerization at high conversion. The initiator for continuous activator regeneration ATRP is used for bulk polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) as the model system. Good livingness and control up to high conversion are obtained through employing ultrasonic waves. By this method, MMA is polymerized in bulk up to “glass state” (88%) at 70°C with polydispersity about 1.2 under an operating frequency of 40 kHz and output power of 100 W. Chain extension reaction proves the livingness of the synthesized polymers at glassy state. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J , 62: 1683–1687, 2016