AlCl3 promoting living-radical polymerization of MMA based on sec-butyl chlorine in n-butanol

The effect of metal halide AlCl3 as additive on the living-radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) in n-butanol at 80 °C was investigated. The initiator was sec-butyl chlorine (SBC), which was used as a model initiator containing secondary R–Cl bond and the catalyst was FeCl2/(PPh3)4. The polymerization reaction of MMA, using SBC/FeCl2 (PPh3)4 as initiating system, was very slow or even did not take place without AlCl3. The addition of AlCl3 accelerated the polymerization to some great extent and the polymers obtained have almost controlled molecular weights and narrow molecular weight distribution. These experimental results were different from those of the literatures, in which metal chlorides would slow down the polymerization rate of MMA for ATRP reactions.