A New Approach to the Living Anionic Polymerization of 4-Cyanostyrene

Abstract

A new approach to the synthesis of well-defined homopolymers of 4-cyanostyrene (4CNS) via anionic polymerization using high vacuum techniques is described. This synthetic route is based on the use of a solvent mixture of tetrahydrofuran and N,N-dimethylacetamide (THF/DMA, 4/1 v/v) in order to overcome the previously reported polymer insolubility issue and long reaction times. Our system afforded well-defined linear living P4CNSs having molecular weights up to 98,500 g/mol in less than 30 min and can be applied to the synthesis of P4CNS-based homopolymers and copolymers of various molecular architectures.