Atom transfer radical polymerization of MMA under reduction of FeBr₃ by glucose

Atom transfer radical polymerization(ATRP) of methylmethacrylate(MMA) was conducted at 110°C using 2, 2'-bipyridin(bpy) as ligand, 1-bromoethylbenzene as initiator, the catalyst FeBr₂ was generated in situ by the reaction of the reducing agent glucose with FeBr₃. The results show that the polymerization is a first order reaction with respect to monomer concentration. The polymerization displays living character as evidenced by a linear increase of molecular weight with conversion and a relatively narrow molecular weight distribution(M̄_w/M̄_n ranges from 1.17~1.25), and the polymerization remains well controlled even in the presence of air. This polymerization method is obviously superior to the conventional ATRP and reverse atom transfer radical polymerization(RATRP).