Visible Light-Induced Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization for Macromolecular Syntheses

Abstract

Visible light-induced atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of vinyl monomers are examined by using various photocatalysts systems including Type I and Type II photoinitiators, dyes, dimanganese decacarbonyl and semiconducting photocatalysts. The influence of various experimental parameters on the polymerization such as type of light sources and photocatalyts, and concentration of metal catalysts are also investigated. Although there currently exist only a few examples, the visible light initiation can be applied to the ATRP process providing a mild and efficient method for the in situ generation of Cu(I) activator.