Synthesis of fluorescent poly(methyl methacrylate) via AGET ATRP

Polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) was successfully carried out via activator generated by electron transfer for atom transfer radical polymerization technique with naphthalene-1,5-diyl-bis (2-bromo-2-methylpropanoate) as an initiator, CuCl2/bpy complex as a catalyst and tin(II) 2-ethylhexanoate (Sn(EH)(2)) as a reducing agent in anisole. The polymerization showed typical features of living/controlled radical polymerization such as a linear increase of the molecular weights of the polymers with monomer conversion and relatively narrow polydispersities throughout the polymerization process. The resultant fluorescent poly(methyl methacrylate) was characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, infrared absorption spectroscopy, ultraviolet absorption spectrophotometry and fluorescence spectrophotometry.