Polymethacrylates with anthryl and carbazolyl groups prepared by atom transfer radical polymerization

Monomers containing chromophore groups, that is, 9-anthrylmethyl methacrylate (AMA) and 2-(9-carbazolyl)ethyl methacrylate (CMA), were copolymerized with methyl methacrylate (MMA) using atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) conditions, resulting in two series of (co)polymers with various amounts of included chromophore units, namely P(MMA-co-AMA) (3–30 mol%) and PAMA and P(MMA-co-CMA) (3–20 mol%). The relative reactivity ratios of both comonomer pairs were determined using the Fineman–Ross method (rMMA=1.19, rAMA=0.48 and rMMA=1.10, rCMA=0.77). Glass transition temperatures (Tgs) of the polymers increased with the content of chromophore groups. A comparison of luminescence demonstrated more intense light emission by polymethacrylates with carbazolyl groups than by copolymers with anthryl groups. The wavelength of emitted light also differed in the range of blue–violet and blue–green fluorescence for carbazolyl and anthryl copolymers, respectively.