Ionic Liquids Facilitating Efficient Oxygen-Tolerant PET-RAFT Polymerization Using an Organic Photocatalyst
Vianna F. Jafari, Ross A. L. Wylie, Greg G. Qiao
Abstract
Photoinduced electron/energy transfer-RAFT (PET-RAFT) polymerization is a technique offering fast and facile reaction conditions utilizing a redox photocatalyst (PC) to generate initiating radicals. Ionic liquids (ILs) are room temperature liquid salts that can be used as alternative solvents in polymerization reactions. In this work, we employ ionic liquids as reaction media in PET-RAFT polymerization utilizing organic PCs, significantly improving reaction rates and making oxygen tolerance possible without using any cocatalyst. Acrylamide polymers are successfully polymerized using PET-RAFT in nondegassed conditions, offering oxygen tolerance and temporal control without the requirement for cocatalysts such as tertiary amines even at ultralow catalyst loadings.