Atom transfer radical polymerisation in emulsion

Atom transfer radical polymerisation ATRP) has been applied to emulsion systems using 2-pyridinecarbaldehyde-3,3-diphenylpropy (dPP) and 4,4'-diheptyl-2,2'-bipyridine (dHbpy) as ligands in the Cu-complex. The application of the former shows a jump in molecular weight at low conversion, probably due to the slow build-up of deactivating species in the particle phase. When dHbpy is used as ligand, control over polymerisation is maintained up to higher conversion, which is due to the favourable partitioning of the deactivator. The absence of initial high molecular weight can be ascribed to the faster build-up of the deactivator concentration in the particle phase. The preliminary results show that ATRP in emulsion is possible, but additional investigations are necessary to understand the role of all components involved.