Photo-Deactivation Strategy for Switchable ATRP with the Assistance of Molecular Switches

Weidong Zhang; Zhuan Chen; Zhengbiao Zhang

doi:10.1002/marc.202400162

Photo-Deactivation Strategy for Switchable ATRP with the Assistance of Molecular Switches

Macromol Rapid Commun. 2024 May 8:e2400162. doi: 10.1002/marc.202400162. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Weidong Zhang^{1

2}, Zhuan Chen², Zhengbiao Zhang²

Affiliations

¹ Center for Soft Condensed Matter Physics and Interdisciplinary Research & Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Frontier Material Physics and Devices, School of Physical Science and Technology, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215006, P. R. China.
² Suzhou Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Design and Precision Synthesis, College of Chemistry Engineering and Materials Science of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China.

PMID: 38719215
DOI: 10.1002/marc.202400162

Abstract

Light irradiation is an external stimulus, rapidly developed in switchable atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) via photo-activation methods in recent years. Herein, a photo-deactivation strategy is introduced to regulate ATRP with the assistance of photoswitchable hexaarylbiimidozole (HABI). Under visible light irradiation and in the presence of HABI, ATRP is greatly decelerated or quenched depending on the concentration of HABI. Interestingly, with visible light off, ATRP can proceed smoothly and follow a first-order kinetics. Moreover, photo-switchable ATRP alternatively with light off and on is demonstrated. Besides, the mechanism of photo-deactivation ATRP involving radical quenching is proposed in the presence of HABI.

Keywords: ATRP; C‐N bond fragmentation; HABI; controlled radical polymerization (CRP); photo‐deactivation.

Abstract

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