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Reversible addition-fragmentation transfer (RAFT) was used as a controlling technique for studying the aqueous heterophase polymerization. The polymerization rates obtained by calorimetric investigation of ab initio emulsion polymerization of styrene revealed the strong influence of the type and combination of the RAFT agent and initiator on the polymerization rate and its profile. The studies in all-glass reactors on the evolution of the characteristic data such as average molecular weight, molecular weight distribution, and average particle size during the polymerization revealed the importance of the peculiarities of the heterophase system such as compartmentalization, swelling, and phase transfer. These results illustrated the important role of the water solubility of the initiator in determining the main loci of polymerization and the crucial role of the hydrophobicity of the RAFT agent for efficient transportation to the polymer particles. For an optimum control during ab-initio batch heterophase polymerization of styrene with RAFT, the RAFT agent must have certain hydrophilicity and the initiator must be water soluble in order to minimize reactions in the monomer phase. An analytical method was developed for the quantitative measurements of the sorption of the RAFT agents to the polymer particles based on the absorption of the visible light by the RAFT agent. Polymer nanoparticles, temperature, and stirring were employed to simulate the conditions of a typical aqueous heterophase polymerization system. The results confirmed the role of the hydrophilicity of the RAFT agent on the effectiveness of the control due to its fast transportation to the polymer particles during the initial period of polymerization after particle nucleation. As the presence of the polymer particles were essential for the transportation of the RAFT agents into the polymer dispersion, it was concluded that in an ab initio emulsion polymerization the transport of the hydrophobic RAFT agent only takes place after the nucleation and formation of the polymer particles. While the polymerization proceeds and the particles grow the rate of the transportation of the RAFT agent increases with conversion until the free monomer phase disappears. The degradation of the RAFT agent by addition of KPS initiator revealed unambigueous evidence on the mechanism of entry in heterophase polymerization. These results showed that even extremely hydrophilic primary radicals, such as sulfate ion radical stemming from the KPS initiator, can enter the polymer particles without necessarily having propagated and reached a certain chain length. Moreover, these results recommend the employment of azo-initiators instead of persulfates for the application in seeded heterophase polymerization with RAFT agents. The significant slower rate of transportation of the RAFT agent to the polymer particles when its solvent (styrene) was replaced with a more hydrophilic monomer (methyl methacrylate) lead to the conclusion that a complicated cooperative and competitive interplay of solubility parameters and interaction parameter with the particles exist, determining an effective transportation of the organic molecules to the polymer particles through the aqueous phase. The choice of proper solutions of even the most hydrophobic organic molecules can provide the opportunity of their sorption into the polymer particles. Examples to support this idea were given by loading the extremely stiff fluorescent molecule, pentacene, and very hydrophobic dye, Sudan IV, into the polymer particles. Finally, the first application of RAFT at room temperature heterophase polymerization is reported. The results show that the RAFT process is effective at ambient temperature; however, the rate of fragmentation is significantly slower. The elevation of the reaction temperature in the presence of the RAFT agent resulted in faster polymerization and higher molar mass, suggesting that the fragmentation rate coefficient and its dependence on the temperature is responsible for the observed retardation.
New chain transfer agents based on dithiobenzoate and trithiocarbonate for free radical polymerization via Reversible Addition-Fragmentation chain Transfer (RAFT) were synthesized. The new compounds bear permanently hydrophilic sulfonate moieties which provide solubility in water independent of the pH. One of them bears a fluorophore, enabling unsymmetrical double end group labelling as well as the preparation of fluorescent labeled polymers. Their stability against hydrolysis in water was studied, and compared with the most frequently employed water-soluble RAFT agent 4-cyano-4-thiobenzoylsulfanylpentanoic acid dithiobenzoate, using UV-Vis and 1H-NMR spectroscopy. An improved resistance to hydrolysis was found for the new RAFT agents, providing good stabilities in the pH range between 1 and 8, and up to temperatures of 70°C. Subsequently, a series of non-ionic, anionic and cationic water-soluble monomers were polymerized via RAFT in water. In these experiments, polymerizations were conducted either at 48°C or 55°C, that are lower than the conventionally employed temperatures (>60°C) for RAFT in organic solvents, in order to minimize hydrolysis of the active chain ends (e.g. dithioester and trithiocarbonate), and thus to obtain good control over the polymerization. Under these conditions, controlled polymerization in aqueous solution was possible with styrenic, acrylic and methacrylic monomers: molar masses increase with conversion, polydispersities are low, and the degree of end group functionalization is high. But polymerizations of methacrylamides were slow at temperatures below 60°C, and showed only moderate control. The RAFT process in water was also proved to be a powerful method to synthesize di- and triblock copolymers including the preparation of functional polymers with complex structure, such as amphiphilic and stimuli-sensitive block copolymers. These include polymers containing one or even two stimuli-sensitive hydrophilic blocks. The hydrophilic character of a single or of several blocks was switched by changing the pH, the temperature or the salt content, to demonstrate the variability of the molecular designs suited for stimuli-sensitive polymeric amphiphiles, and to exemplify the concept of multiple-sensitive systems. Furthermore, stable colloidal block ionomer complexes were prepared by mixing anionic surfactants in aqueous media with a double hydrophilic block copolymer synthesized via RAFT in water. The block copolymer is composed of a noncharged hydrophilic block based on polyethyleneglycol and a cationic block. The complexes prepared with perfluoro decanoate were found so stable that they even withstand dialysis; notably they do not denaturate proteins. So, they are potentially useful for biomedical applications in vivo.