Controlled polymerization of methacrylates to high molecular weight polymers using oxidatively activated group transfer polymerization initiators

Oxidative activation of group transfer polymerization initiator silyl ketene acetals with a catalytic amount of the olefin polymerization activator Ph3CB(C6F5)(4) directly affords the first methyl methacrylate addition product, the highly active propagating species that contains both the nucleophilic and electrophilic catalyst sites to promote the controlled methacrylate polymerization via cooperative catalysis.