A di-tert-butyl acrylate monomer for controlled radical photopolymerization

A new di-tert-butyl acrylate (diTBA) monomer for controlled radical polymerization is reported. This monomer complements the classical use of tert-butyl acrylate (TBA) for synthesis of poly(acrylic acid) by increasing the density of carboxylic acids per repeat unit, while also increasing the flexibility of the carboxylic acid side-chains. The monomer is well behaved under Cu(II)-mediated photoinduced controlled radical polymerization and delivers polymers with excellent chain-end fidelity at high monomer conversions. Importantly, this new diTBA monomer readily copolymerizes with TBA to further the potential for applications in areas such as dispersing agents and adsorbents. (C) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.