Controlled/living radical polymerization is an efficient technique for the synthesis of well-defined polymeric architectures, including copolymers, block copolymers, stars, graft and variations thereof. In this communication, we report for the first time the synthesis of a deca-block copolymer via a simple and efficient iterative Cu(0)-mediated radical polymerization technique. In this approach, purification is not required between the iterative chain extension steps, as each block formation is taken to full conversion. The final deca-block copolymer can be obtained with a yield in mass of approximately 90%. Using traditional controlled/living radical polymerization techniques, including reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization, nitroxide-mediated polymerization (NMP) or atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP), synthesis of deca-block copolymer in such high yield is very difficult (and may be impossible) and requires numerous purification steps. The synthesis of the final complex deca-copolymer required the concomitant synthesis of 16 architecturally discrete block copolymers.

Synthesis of complex multiblock copolymers via a simple iterative Cu(0)-mediated radical polymerization approach

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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