Cationic RAFT polymerization using ppm concentrations of organic acid.

A metal-free, cationic, reversible addition-fragmentation chain-transfer (RAFT) polymerization was proposed and realized. A series of thiocarbonylthio compounds were used in the presence of a small amount of triflic acid for isobutyl vinyl ether to give polymers with controlled molecular weight of up to 1×10(5) and narrow molecular-weight distributions (Mw /Mn <1.1). This "living" or controlled cationic polymerization is applicable to various electron-rich monomers including vinyl ethers, p-methoxystyrene, and even p-hydroxystyrene that possesses an unprotected phenol group. A transformation from cationic to radical RAFT polymerization enables the synthesis of block copolymers between cationically and radically polymerizable monomers, such as vinyl ether and vinyl acetate or methyl acrylate.