Brass Mediated Photo‐ATRP of Methyl Methacrylate Under Open‐Vessel Condition

ABSTRACT Herein, we report the open‐vessel photo‐ATRP of methyl methacrylate (MMA) using a catalytic system employing brass alloy wire used for craft works, PMDETA ligand and Ethyl α‐bromo phenylacetate (EBPA) initiator. The copper‐based brass alloy catalyst was found to produce good control with rapid polymerization. The constituent zinc acts as an in situ sacrificial reducing agent, which helps to suppress oxygen interference during the polymerization process. UV–vis, FT‐Raman, cyclic voltammetry, and x‐ray photoelectron spectroscopic studies were employed to predict the active compound behind the control over open‐vessel polymerization and to establish the mechanism of the polymerization. The coordination of oxygen with the metal components of brass alloy was confirmed by the formation of metal─oxide bonds, in particular Cu─O and Zn─O bonds. Kinetic studies of photo‐ATRP confirmed the living nature of the polymer chains. Further confirmation was made using chain extension with Benzyl Methacrylate. The temporal control experiments highlight the imperative role of UV light in regulating polymerization. The present study provides a way to perform an open‐vessel polymerization of methacrylates using the heterogeneous alloy‐based catalytic system.