Synthesis and characteristic of water-soluble initiator for atom transfer radical polymerisation

Abstract

A water-soluble Atom transfer radical polymerisation (ATRP) initiator (1,2-dihydroxypropane-3-oxy-2-bromo-2-methyl propionyl) has been synthesised by a two step reaction which involved esterification of the starting material and hydrolysis of the intermediate product. 1H NMR of both the intermediate and final products has confirmed the structure of the targeted products and also the reactions produce high yield and sufficient purity. This initiator will be very useful in the polymerisation of water-soluble monomers in order to produce polymers with controlled molecular weight and narrow polydispersity.

Keywords: Atom transfer, ATRP, Initiator, Polymerisation