We
demonstrated the B(C6F5)3-catalyzed
group transfer polymerization (GTP) of acrylate monomers with hydrosilane
by the in situ formation of silyl ketene acetals
(SKAs) as the initiator by the B(C6F5)3-catalyzed 1,4-hydrosilylation of acrylate monomers and hydrosilane.
In addition, this new GTP method was clarified in terms of the polymerization
mechanism, scope and limitation of the acrylate monomers, the livingness
of the polymerization, and the synthesis of statistic and block acrylate
copolymers and ω-end-functionalized acrylate polymers. A mechanism
involving six elementary reactions was proposed based on the specified
analysis of the 1,4-hydrosilylation reaction and the usual GTP using
a Lewis acid catalyst. The B(C6F5)3-catalyzed GTP using Me2PhSiH was applicable for not only
various alkyl acrylates, such as the methyl, 2-ethylhexyl, cyclohexyl,
and dicyclopentanyl acrylates, but also functional acrylates, such
as the 2-methoxyethyl, 2-(2-ethoxyethoxy)ethyl, tetrahydrofurfuryl,
allyl, triisopropylsilyl, and 2-(triisopropylsiloxy)ethyl acrylates.
On the other hand, the isobornyl, tert-butyl, 2-methyl-2-adamantyl,
2-(dimethylamino)ethyl, and 2-oxotetrahydrofuran-3-yl acrylates were
unsuitable GTP monomers because they showed low or even no polymerization
property due to the deactivation of the B(C6F5)3 catalyst or the in situ produced SKA
initiator. The livingness for the GTP of suitable acrylates using
Me2PhSiH was verified by the kinetic studies, which was
applied to the random and block copolymerizations of two different
acrylate monomers. Finally, the ω-end-functionalization of the
nucleophilic propagating end of poly(n-butyl acrylate)
was performed using electrophiles, such as benzaldehyde, N-benzylidenemethylamine, and N-benzylidenebenzylamine,
as terminators.