A novel reversible-deactivation radical polymerization strategy via near-infrared light-controlled photothermal conversion dividing wall-type heat exchanger

Abstract

As an effective means of utilizing light energy, photothermal conversion has excellent application in the field of polymerization. Herein, a dividing wall-type heat exchanger with the aid of photothermal conversion was designed to conduct polymerization under irradiation with near-infrared (NIR) light by utilizing the ketocyanine-type dye solution as the highly efficient activator (>83.2% photothermal conversion efficiency). Various types of reversible-deactivation radical polymerization (RDRP) methods, including reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer, atom transfer radical polymerization, and bromine-iodine transformation RDRP, are suitable for this strategy. Well-defined polymers with excellent control over molar mass and molar mass dispersity ( Ð < 1.28) were thus synthesized within a few hours under NIR ( λ max = 810 nm, 850 nm) irradiation at room temperature. Importantly, in addition to conventional heating methods (such as electrical heating jackets), the designed dividing wall-type heat exchanger via NIR light activation has another unique advantage: it can enhance the polymerization by the synergistic effect of both heating and NIR light irradiation due to the deeper penetration of NIR light.