Amphiphilic diblock and crosslinked copolymers synthesized via metal-free atom transfer radical polymerization

The use of metal-free atom transfer radical polymerization (MF-ATRP) was explored for the formation of diverse macromolecular structures to assess the versatility of this advanced polymerization process. In MF-ATRP using an organic photocatalyst, 10-phenylphenothiazine, the influences of various monomers, initiators and solvents were examined, showing that molecular weight and polydispersity could be tailored through appropriate selection of each component. Using this modern polymerization technology, metal-free amphiphilic diblock and crosslinked copolymers were prepared successfully. Especially, demonstration of amphiphilic diblock copolymer synthesis provides a basis for further applications to biomedical materials. (c) 2017 Society of Chemical Industry