title: A silver bullet: elemental silver as an efficient reducing agent for atom transfer radical polymerization of acrylates.
abstract: Elemental silver was used as a reducing agent in the atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of acrylates. Silver wire, in conjunction with a CuBr(2)/TPMA catalyst, enabled the controlled, rapid preparation of polyacrylates with dispersity values down to Đ = 1.03. The silver wire in these reactions was reused several times in sequential reactions without a decline in performance, and the amount of copper catalyst used was reduced to 10 ppm without a large decrease in control. A poly(n-butyl acrylate)-block-poly(tert-butyl acrylate) diblock copolymer was synthesized with a molecular weight of 91 400 and Đ = 1.04, demonstrating good retention of chain-end functionality and a high degree of livingness in this ATRP system.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Carnegie Mellon University , 4400 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States.
authors.forename: Valerie A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: Thomas G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Ribelli
authors.forename: Pawel
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chmielarz
authors.forename: Sangwoo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Krzysztof
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Matyjaszewski