Synthesis of well-defined polystyrene-graft-poly(methyl methacrylate)

A well-defined graft copolymer, polystyrene-graft-poly(methyl methacrylate), was synthesized in two steps. In the first step, styrene and p-vinyl benzene sulfonyl chloride were copolymerized via reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerization (RAFT) in benzene at 60 degrees C with 2(ethoxycarbonyl)prop-2-yl dithiobenzoate as a chain transfer agent and 2,2'-azobis(isobutyronitrile) as an initiator. In the second step, poly[styrene-co-p- (vinyl benzene sulfonyl chloride)] was used as a macroinitiator for the atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of methyl methacrylate (MMA) in toluene at 80 degrees C with CuCl as a catalyst and 2,2'-bipyridine as a ligand. With sulfonyl chloride groups as the initiating sites for the ATRP of MMA, high initiation efficiencies were obtained. (c) 2006 Society of Chemical Industry.