Toward Green Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization: Current Status and Future Challenges

Reversible-deactivation radical polymerizations (RDRPs) have revolutionized synthetic polymer chemistry. Nowadays, RDRPs facilitate design and preparation of materials with controlled architecture, composition, and functionality. Atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) has evolved beyond traditional polymer field, enabling synthesis of organic-inorganic hybrids, bioconjugates, advanced polymers for electronics, energy, and environmentally relevant polymeric materials for broad applications in various fields. This review focuses on the relation between ATRP technology and the 12 principles of green chemistry, which are paramount guidelines in sustainable research and implementation. The green features of ATRP are presented, discussing the environmental and/or health issues and the challenges that remain to be overcome. Key discoveries and recent developments in green ATRP are highlighted, while providing a perspective for future opportunities in this area.

Ultrafast, green and recyclable photoRDRP in an ionic liquid towards multi-stimuli responsive amphiphilic copolymers

A simple and inexpensive method for ultrafast and recyclable photoRDRP in an ionic liquid is developed, yielding low dispersity poly(glycidyl methacrylate) and well-defined amphiphilic multi-stimuli responsive diblock copolymers thereof.

Guanidine as inexpensive dual function ligand and reducing agent for ATRP of methacrylates

N,N,N′,N′-Tetramethyl guanidine, an inexpensive and commercially available organic base, is used for the first time as ligand without any chemical modification for the supplemental activator and reducing agent atom transfer radical polymerization.

Synergetic effect of the epoxide functional groups in the photocatalyzed atom transfer radical copolymerization of glycidyl methacrylate

Methyl methacrylate (MMA) and glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) were copolymerized by photocatalyzed atom transfer radical polymerization under visible light irradiation. The polymerization was made faster by the epoxide group, which played the role of a reducing agent and thus favored the regeneration of the activator.