Journal of the American Chemical Society, Vol.134, No.12, 5536-5539, 2012
Photoinduced Switching from Living Radical Polymerization to a Radical Coupling Reaction Mediated by Organotellurium Compounds
An efficient and simple method for the synthesis of symmetric macromolecules by photoinduced switching from radical polymerization to a radical coupling reaction is reported. Structurally well-defined telechelic polyisoprenes and ABA-triblock copolymers were prepared by successive organotellurium-mediated living radical polymerization (TERP) under thermal conditions, followed by a polymer-end radical coupling reaction under photoirradiation.