Poly vinyl esters have numerous applications in polymer research and industrial productions. For instance, poly (vinyl acetate) is popular as an adhesive for porous substrates (e.g., wood, paper, and cloth), emulsion paints and as powder additives for construction materials. Poly (vinyl esters) are also precursors for poly (vinyl alcohol) which is important as a coating material. Although, poly vinyl esters have wide range of applications, the synthesis of high molecular weight uniform polymers is an ongoing challenge. Vinyl ester monomers are among the lowest reactive monomers compatible with RAFT polymerization. The highly reactive unconjugated radicals formed during propagation are prone to side reactions, especially irreversible transfer, limiting the evolution of molecular weight and control over molecular weight distribution. Herein, the effect of monomer type on the control of poly vinyl esters synthesized by Photoinduced Electron/Energy Transfer Reversible Addition–Fragmentation Chain Transfer polymerization (PET-RAFT) is explored. We show that PET-RAFT is capable of forming high molecular weight poly vinyl esters (&gt;200,000) under mild conditions. The livingness of the polymerization was successfully confirmed by the chain extension using macroinitiators.

Studying the molecular weight evolution of different poly vinyl esters using photoinduced electron/energy transfer reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer polymerization

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