In Situ Monitoring of RAFT Polymerization by Tetraphenylethylene‐Containing Agents with Aggregation‐Induced Emission Characteristics

A facile and efficient approach is demonstrated to visualize the polymerization in situ. A group of tetraphenylethylene (TPE)‐containing dithiocarbamates were synthesized and screened as agents for reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerizations. The spatial‐temporal control...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Angewandte Chemie International Edition 2018-05, Vol.57 (21), p.6274-6278
Main Authors: Liu, Shunjie, Cheng, Yanhua, Zhang, Haoke, Qiu, Zijie, Kwok, Ryan T. K., Lam, Jacky W. Y., Tang, Ben Zhong
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Addition polymerization
Agglomeration
aggregation-induced emission
Chain transfer
Emission
in situ visualization
Irradiation
Light irradiation
Photochemistry
Polymerization
Radiation
Reagents
tetraphenylethylene
Viscosity
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Summary:A facile and efficient approach is demonstrated to visualize the polymerization in situ. A group of tetraphenylethylene (TPE)‐containing dithiocarbamates were synthesized and screened as agents for reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerizations. The spatial‐temporal control characteristics of photochemistry enabled the RAFT polymerizations to be ON and OFF on demand under alternating visible light irradiation. The emission of TPE is sensitive to the local viscosity change owing to its aggregation‐induced emission characteristic. Quantitative information could be easily acquired by the naked eye without destroying the reaction system. Furthermore, the versatility of such a technique was well demonstrated by 12 different polymerization systems. The present approach thus demonstrated a powerful platform for understanding the controlled living radical polymerization process. Making the invisible visible: By judicious combination of photochemistry and aggregation‐induced emission, in situ visualization of RAFT polymerization was realized. This approach sensed not only the local viscosity of the system, but also the segmental motion of the polymer, which is important for understanding and monitoring polymerization mechanisms.
ISSN:1433-7851
1521-3773
DOI:10.1002/anie.201803268