Photoredox catalysis is an appealing synthetic approach as it can convert visible light into chemical energy by producing reactive radical intermediates that can mediate and control polymerizations. However, one challenge in light-mediated polymerization is catalyst contamination in the final product that can lead to discoloration and degradation. Heterogeneous photoredox catalysis provides possibilities to circumvent these limitations. This presentation examines the efficiency of fluorescein polymer brushes on micron-scale glass bead supports (FPB@SiO<sub>2</sub>) in visible light photoinduced electron/energy transfer-reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (PET-RAFT) polymerization. These photocatalytic glass beads demonstrate the ability to produce well-defined polymers with narrow molecular weight distributions. High monomer conversions are obtained and impurities in the polymer product are circumvented. The FPB@SiO<sub>2</sub>heterogeneous catalyst can efficiently be recovered through simple filtration due to the large particle size and recycling is possible for multiple polymerization cycles.

Photocatalytic polymer brush glass beads for heterogeneous photoredox polymerization catalysis

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ACS Fall 2022

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