Photoinitiated Crosslinking and Grafting of Methylmethacrylate Using N,N-Dimethyl Amino Functional Polystyrene Block Copolymers

Monodisperse poly(N,N-dimethyl-4-vinylphenethylamine)-block-polystyrene was synthesized via anionic living polymerization carried out at -78 °C under a pressure of 10-6 torr using cumyl potassium as the initiator. Subsequent photoinduced radical polymerization of styrene through side chain-functional N,N-dimethyl amino groups yielded a crosslinked polymer and a brush type block-graft copolymer to a lesser extent. Upon irradiation at a wavelength of 350 nm, macroradicals were generated via hydrogen abstraction from amino side-chain groups by the excited benzophenone. The block-graft copolymer was characterized by 1H-NMR, IR, and GPC analysis.