Controlled polymerization of (meth)acrylamides by atom transfer radical polymerization

Controlled polymerization of (meth)acrylamides was achieved by ATRP using the initiating system methyl 2-chloropropionate/CuCl/tris(2-dimethylaminoethyl)amine. Linear increase of molecular weights with conversion and low polydispersity (Mw/Mn < 1.2) were obtained in toluene, at room temperature, when N,N-dimethylacrylamide was used as a monomer. However, the polymerization reached limited conversion, which could be enhanced by increasing the catalyst/initiator ratio. The limited conversion is not due to the loss of the active chains, but rather to the loss of activity of the catalytic system.