Aqueous Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization of 6-O-Methacryloyl-D-Galactopyranose

Water-soluble sugar monomer 6-O-methacryloyl-D-galactopyranose (GMA) was synthesized and its aqueous atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) was investigated. Narrowdispersed homopolymers and copolymers of GMA were synthesized and characterized by 1H-NMR and GPC. It has been revealed that the aqueous ATRP of GMA was fast but the monomer conversion was limited due to side reactions. The control of polymerization was improved by adding Cu(II) as a deactivator or methanol as a cosolvent. The monomer conversion was increased using PMDETA as ligand and addition of N(CH3)+4Br- to control the hydrolysis of CuBr2. Double-hydrophilic block copolymers of GMA were directly obtained using ATRP macroinitiators or by-sequential monomer addition method.