ORS1-0402
Electrochemically Mediated Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization Employing Rapid Alternating Polarity
Topic
S1. Polymer Synthesis
When and Where
Oct 1, 2026
11:35 - 11:50
Room 101
Session Chairs
Jeewoo LIM
Presenter(s)
Yunyan Qiu (National University of Singapore)
Co-Author(s)
Abstract
Mass transfer limitations pose considerable challenges in electrochemical synthesis, particularly in high-viscosity environments that are inherent to electrochemically mediated polymerizations. In such scenarios, inadequate transport of redox-active species to and from the electrode surface results in electrode fouling and premature termination of the polymerization. Herein, we have thoroughly investigated electrochemically mediated atom transfer radical polymerization (eATRP) as a model platform to address the challenges arising from mass transfer limitations associated with electrochemical polymerizations by employing rapid alternating polarity (rAP). In this talk, I will discuss a straightforward strategy for eATRP that employs readily available graphite electrodes within an undivided cell, and we implement a single constant alternating current on a millisecond timescale throughout the entire polymerization process. This method effectively prevents overreduction of copper catalysts and electrode fouling, thereby facilitating the polymerizations of methyl acrylate (MA) with near-quantitative monomer conversions and exceptionally narrow dispersities (dispersity < 1.1 ). This rAP eATRP method exhibited low catalyst loading, broad monomer scope, and precise control over polymerization kinetics. This work could underpin future research on rAP in various controlled electrochemical polymerizations.
