Cu catalyst system with phosphorous containing bidendate ligand for living radical polymerization of MMA

The polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) was carried out using CuBr/bidentate phosphorus ligand catalyst systems. MMA polymerization with CuBr/phosphine-phosphinidene (PP) exhibited high conversion (similar to 80%) in 5 h at 90 degrees C along with a linear increase of ln([M](0)/[M]) versus time, indicating constant concentration of the propagating radicals during the polymerization. The molecular weight of the prepared PMMA tended to increase with conversion, suggesting the living polymerization characteristic of the system. On the other hand, a large difference between the measured and theoretical molecular weight and a broad molecular weight distribution were observed, implicating possible incomplete control over the polymerization. This may have been caused by the low deactivation rate constant (k(deact)) of the system. The low k(deact) would result in irreversible generation of radicals instead of reversible activation/deactivation process of ATRR. Polymerizations performed at different ligand to CuBr ratios and different monomer to initiator ratios did not afford better control over the polymerization, suggesting that the controllability of CuBr/phosphorus ligand system for ATRP is inherently limited.