Photoinitiated crosslinking and grafting of methylmethacrylate using N,N-dimethyl amino functional polystyrene block copolymers

Monodisperse poly(N, N-dimethyl-4-vinylphenethylamine)-block-polystyrene was synthesized via anionic living polymerization carried out at -78 degreesC under a pressure of 10(-6) torr using cumyl potassium as the initiator. Subsequent photoinduced radical polymerization of styrene through side chain-functional N,N-dimethyl amino groups yielded a crosslinked polymer and a brush type block-graft copolymer to a lesser extent. Upon irradiation at a wavelength of 350 nm, macroradicals were generated via hydrogen abstraction from amino side-chain groups by the excited benzophenone. The block-graft copolymer was characterized by H-1-NMR, IR, and GPC analysis.