New tridentate ligands with mixed donor atoms for Cu-based atom transfer radical polymerization

2-Furancarboxaldehyde-2-pyridinylhydrazone (FPH) and 5-methyl-2-furancarboxaldehyde-2-pyridinylhydrazone (MFPH) were synthesized and used as tridentate ligands of copper (I) bromide for the atom transfer radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) and styrene. The polymerization of methyl methacrylate achieved high conversion and yielded polymers with a good control of molecular weight and low polydispersity (PDI=1.33). Higher PDI were observed in the polymerization of styrene. Using 1-phenyl ethylbromide (PEBr) and ethyl 2-bromoisobutyrate (EBiB) as model compounds for the polymeric chain ends, the activation rate constants of the new catalytic systems were measured. These results were correlated with the polymerization results and compared with another catalytic system previously reported.