The efficacy of an atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) approach in the synthesis of optically tagged poly(styrenesulfonate) sodium salt (NaPSS) was analyzed using gel permeation chromatography coupled with multiple-angle light scattering (GPC/MALS). Completely sulfonated NaPSS was achieved by direct synthesis of monomeric 4-styrenesulfonic sodium salt with a fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) labelled 4-vinylaniline monomer incorporated as the optical tag. The concentration of FITC conjugated to the 4-vinylaniline monomer was varied to control the degree of fluorescence intensity of the final polymer. UV-VIS analysis confirmed the ability to tune the degree of tagging NaPSS with FITC. Extensive dialysis was conducted to remove unreacted FITC from the polymer solution to ensure that the optical properties were solely accounted for by tagged polymer. The addition of sodium chloride salt to the aqueous reaction system suppressed the deactivator hydrolysis from the Cu(I) metal to allow for a slower and more controlled polymerization. The realization of high molecular weight (M<sub>w</sub>), up to 900 000 g/mol, and a polydispersity index (PDI) as low as 1.02 indicate the efficacy of this synthetic approach.<br/><br/>Funding: Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative

Synthesis of fluorescently labelled sodium polystyrenesulfonate via atom transfer radical polymerization

249th National Meeting (2015)

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