A novel thermal iniferter for radical polymerization

A novel thermal iniferter, 1-hydroxy-2-(p-tolylaminocarbonyloxy)-1,1,2,2-tetraphenylethane (HTTPE), was prepared from 1,1,2,2-tetraphenyl-1,2-ethanediol (TPED) and p-tolyl isocyanate. The thermal iniferter is a complex of HTTPE with acetone, designated as HTTPE·Acetone. Characterization of HTTPE·Acetone was performed by FTIR, 1H-NMR and elemental analysis. The melting point of the complex is 98–99.5°C. The polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) with HTTPE·Acetone can be carried out in bulk or in DMF solution at 70 and 80°C, and the polymerization proceeds by a “living” polymerization mechanism. The resultant polymer can reinitiate a second monomer, n-butyl methacrylate, (nBMA), to form a PMMA-b-PnBMA block copolymer.