Preparation of hyperbranched polyacrylates by atom transfer radical polymerization, 4: The use of zero-valent copper

The addition of zero-valent copper to the self-condensing vinyl polymerization (SCVP) of novel AB* (meth)acrylic monomers using atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) catalyst systems has allowed for their successful polymerization. Polymerization under homogeneous and heterogeneous catalyst conditions without additional Cu(0) were unsuccessful. The catalyst system that was designed comprised of Cu(I) bromide, 4,4‰-bis(5-nonyl)-2,2‰-bipyridine, and Cu(0) metal (powder or turning). From ¹H NMR spectroscopy, the degree of branching was estimated for the acrylic polymers, DB = 0.48. The degree of branching could not be determined for methacrylates by this method due to overlapping signals in the ¹H NMR spectra.