Copolymerization of methyl acrylate with norbornene derivatives by atom transfer radical polymerization

Methyl acrylate was copolymerized with norbornene derivatives by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). The polymerizations were run under mild reaction conditions to afford random copolymers as was verified by ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopies, MALDI mass spectrometry, and size exclusion chromatography (SEC). While the copolymerizations were not significantly affected by the specific initiator and/or ligand employed, the copolymer molecular weight increased with increasing monomer-to-initiator ratio. The copper-mediated system also displayed some characteristics of a controlled polymerization system.