Preparation of poly(methyl methacrylate) by ATRP using initiators for continuous activator regeneration (ICAR) in ionic liquid/microemulsions

In this study, we reported the synthesis of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) polymers via initiators for continuous activator regeneration atom transfer radical polymerization using CCl4 as initiator, FeCl3·6H2O/hexamethylene tetramine as catalyst complex, and 2,2′-azobis(isobutyronitrile) (AIBN) as reducing agent. The polymerization was conducted at 60 °C in the ionic liquid based microemulsion with hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) as surfactant. Kinetics experimental results showed that the polymerization proceeded in a controlled/‘living’ process. The effects of the molar ratio of [CCl4]/[FeCl3·6H2O], the concentration of AIBN, temperature and the concentration of CTAB on the polymerization was investigated. The effect of CTAB concentration on the resulting PMMA particle size was also investigated. The obtained polymer was characterized by proton nuclear magnetic resonance and gel permeation chromatography. The living characteristics were demonstrated by chain extension experiment.