MADIX polymerization of captodative ethyl α-acetoxyacrylate with acrylate monomers

MADIX homopolymerization of a captodative monomer, ethyl-alpha-acetoxyacrylate (EAA) was investigated using AIBN as an initiator and O-ethyl-S-(l-methoxycarbonyl)ethyl dithiocarbonate as a transfer agent at 70 degrees C in a mixture of iPrOH and H2O. The experimental results revealed that this transfer agent had no effect on the polymerization reaction when compared with a free radical polymerization. Copolymerization of ethyl-alpha-acetoxyacrylate, with different acrylic monomers, such as butyl acrylate (BuA), acrylic acid, N,N-(dimethylamino)ethyl acrylate and N,N-dimethyl acrylamide, was then studied by MADIX polymerization using the same transfer agent. All the prepared copolymers were characterized by H-1 NMR and size exclusion chromatography, and the obtained results were in accordance with theoretical predictions regarding molecular weight and copolymer composition. Futhermore, the living character of the polymerization has been checked by the chain extension of poly(EAA-stat-BuA) with vinyl acetate (Vac) which led to poly(EAA-stat-BuA)-block-poly(VAc).