RAFT Polymerization of Alternating Styrene-Pentafluorostyrene Copolymers

Reversible addition-fragmentation chain-transfer (RAFT) polymerization was used to control the alternating copolymerization of styrene and 2,3,4,5,6-pentaflurostyrene. The RAFT polymerization yields a high degree of control over the molecular weight of the polymers and does not significantly influence the reactivity ratios of the monomers. The controlled free-radical polymerization could be initiated using AIBN at elevated temperatures or using a redox couple (benzoyl peroxide/N,N-dimethylaniline) at room temperature, while maintaining control over molecular weight and dispersity. The influence of temperature and solvent on the molecular weight distribution and reactivity ratios were investigated. (c) 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014, 52, 1555-1559