Iron Catalyzed Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization of Methyl Methacrylate Using Diphenyl-2-pyridylphosphine as a Ligand

The living radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) by atom transfer radical polymerization, (ATRP) employing a $Fe(II)X_2/diphenyl-2-pyridyl$ phosphine (PyP) catalytic system (X=Cl, Br), was investigated using several initiators and solvents at various temperatures. Most of the polymerizations with the PyP ligand were well controlled, with a linear increase in the number average molecular weights ($M_n$) vs. conversion, with relatively low molecular weight distributions ($M_w/M_n=1.2-1.4$) throughout the reactions. The measured weights matched those of the predicted values. The ethyl-2-bromoisobutyrate (EBriB) initiated ATRP of MMA, with the $Fe(II)X_2/diphenyl-2-pyridyl$ phosphine catalytic system (X=Cl, Br), was better controlled in p-xylene at $80^{\circ}C$ than the other solvents used in this study.