New Water Soluble Agents for Reversible Addition−Fragmentation Chain Transfer Polymerization and Their Application in Aqueous Solutions

Abstract

A series of nonionic, anionic, and cationic water-soluble monomers bearing the (meth)acrylate, (meth)acrylamide, or styrene moiety were polymerized in water by free-radical polymerization via reversible addition−fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT). Several new water-soluble RAFT agents based on dithiobenzoate were employed that are water soluble independently of the pH. One of them bears a fluorophore, enabling unsymmetrical double end-group labeling as well as the preparation of fluorescent-labeled polymers. The temperature-dependent stability of the new RAFT agents against hydrolysis was studied. Controlled polymerization in aqueous solution was possible with styrenic, acrylic, and methacrylic monomers; molar masses increase with conversion, and polydispersities are relatively low. But RAFT polymerization failed for an anionic itaconate. Whereas polymerizations of methacrylamides were slow at temperatures below 60 °C, such conditions proved favorable for the RAFT polymerization of acrylates and methacrylates, to minimize hydrolysis of the dithioester end-group functionality, and to improve the preparation of block copolymers.