Graft copolymers, 2. The application of group‐transfer polymerisation to the synthesis of graft copolymers

Abstract A copolymer, containing a minor proportion of residues derived from a special monomer with particular structural features, has been synthesised and used in a subsequent grafting step in which functional groups belonging to the special monomer residues were converted into initiating centres from which grafts were grown by means of “group‐transfer” polymerisation. It is shown that this technique constitutes a satisfactory method for the synthesis of graft copolymers (or branched, i. e. comb‐like, homopolymers) free from linear homopolymer, and the procedure is applied to a specific system in which the principal backbone monomer is styrene, the special backbone monomer component is (2‐isobutyryloxy)ethyl methacrylate, and the grafting monomer is methyl methacrylate.