Reversible chain transfer catalyzed polymerization (RTCP) of methyl methacrylate with nitrogen catalyst in an aqueous microsuspension system

A study was conducted to demonstrate reversible chain transfer catalyzed polymerization (RTCP) of methyl methacrylate with nitrogen catalyst in an aqueous microsuspension system. Methyl methacrylate (MMA) and styrene were purified by distillation under reduced pressure in a nitrogen atmosphere. The microsuspension iodide transfer radical polymerization (ITP) of MMA was carried out in the same way as the microsuspension RTCP without N-Iodosuccinimide (NIS) to demonstrate ITP in microsuspension system. Conversion was determined by gas chromatography employing helium as carrier gas, N,N-dimethylformamide as solvent, and p-xylene as internal standard. It was observed that the polymerization proceeded smoothly without induction period and reached 93% within 2 hours, while the rate of the microsuspension RTCP remained the same as that of RTCP in a bulk system conducted under the same conditions except for TTAB and water.