Jun 23, 2008 - However, removal of copper catalyst after the polymer- ... transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of benzyl methacrylate and methyl ...
Communication
Hydrated Clay for Catalyst Removal in Copper Mediated Atom Transfer Radical Polymerizationa Selvaraj Munirasu, Ashwini Deshpande, Durairaj Baskaran*
A simple method has been described to remove catalyst from the copper mediated atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of benzyl methacrylate and methyl methacrylate in anisole at 25 8C using hydrated natural clay (sodium montmorillonite, Na-clay). The method consists of (1) addition of hydrated clay (CuI/clay 5 wt.-%) either during or after the polymerization, (2) oxidation of catalyst complex by exposing the terminated reaction mixture in air, and (3) filtration to obtain catalyst free polymer solution. A strong coordination of CuBr-ligand complex onto hydrated clay (10 wt.-% < H2O/clay < 30 wt.-%) upon oxidation resulted in polymers with no or insignificant residual catalyst (
