Syndiotactic living PMMA

A radical initiator based on the oxidation adduct of an alkyl-9-BBN (47) has been utilized to produce poly(methylmethacrylate) (48) (Fig. 31) from methylmethacrylate monomer by a living anionic polymerization route that does not require the mediation of a metal catalyst. The relatively broad molecular weight distribution (PDI = (MJM ) 2.5) compared with those in living anionic polymerization cases was attributed to the slow initiation of the polymerization.69 A similar radical polymerization route aided by 47 was utilized in the synthesis of functionalized syndiotactic polystyrene (PS) polymers by the copolymerization of styrene.70 The borane groups in the functionalized syndiotactic polystyrenes were transformed into free-radical initiators for the in situ free-radical graft polymerization to prepare s-PS-g-PMMA graft copolymers. 

The chain tacticity of PMMA synthesized by GTP catalyzed by nucleophiles at different temperatures was analyzed by Webster and coworkers The syndiotactic content increases from 50% at 60 °C up to 80% at —90°C in THF, using tris(dimethylamino)sulfonium bifluoride [(Me2N)3S+ HF2 ] as catalyst . In contrast to the anionic polymerization of MMA, the stereoselectivity of GTP is less sensitive to solvent. It must be noted that PMMA is less syndiotactic when the GTP is catalyzed by nucleophiles rather than by Lewis acids . GTP was extended to the living polymerization of many acrylates and methacrylates, such as nBuMA, glycidyl-MA, 2-ethylhexyl-MA, Me3SiOCH2CH2-MA, sorbyl-MA, allyl-MA, lauryl-MA), acrylates (EA, BuA), acrylonitrile, methacrylonitrile and Al,A-dimethylacrylamide . 

---