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

Abstract

A simple and inexpensive method for ultrafast and recyclable photoRDRP (in the absence of any conventional photoinitiators or dye sensitizers) in ionic liquid is developed, yielding low dispersity poly(glycidyl methacrylate) and well-defined amphiphilic poly(glycidyl methacrylate)-b-poly(poly(ethylene glycol)methacrylate) diblock copolymers thereof. The copolymer's stimuli response has been assessed against pH and temperature changes. The absence of polymerization in the absence of light enables temporal control and paves the way for potential application in the area where precise spatiotemporal “on/off” control and resolution are desirable. DFT calculations rationalize the underlying mechanism of the polymerization.