Accelerated nitroxide-mediated polymerization of styrene and butyl acrylate initiated by BlocBuilder MA using flow reactors

The nitroxide-mediated radical polymerization (NMP) of styrene (St) and butyl acrylate (BA) using BlocBuilder MA under continuous flow reaction conditions showed higher conversions and smaller polydispersity index (D) values compared with batch reaction conditions. Adding a small amount of acetol or malononitrile accelerated the NMP reaction without sacrificing D values. Flow reactors enable the nitroxide-mediated radical polymerization (NMP) of styrene (St) and butyl acrylate (BA) initiated by BlocBuilder MA (BB MA) with additives in a highly controlled manner, and BA-St di-block copolymers were also synthesized.

Automated summary

In this study, it was found that nitroxide-mediated radical polymerization (NMP) using BlocBuilder MA under continuous flow reaction conditions led to higher conversions and smaller polydispersity index (D) values compared to batch reaction conditions. The addition of a small amount of acetol or malononitrile accelerated the NMP reaction without sacrificing the quality of the polymer. Flow reactors allowed for precise control of the NMP process initiated by BlocBuilder MA and the synthesis of di-block copolymers.