| Abstract: | A single‐pot atom transfer radical polymerization was used for the first time to successfully synthesize polyacrylonitrile with a molecular weight higher than 80,000 and a narrow polydispersity as low as 1.18. This was achieved with CuBr/isophthalic acid as the catalyst, 2‐bromopropionitrile as the initiator, and N,N‐dimethylformamide as the solvent. The effects of the solvent on the polymerization of acrylonitrile were also investigated. The induction period was shorter in N,N‐dimethylformamide than in propylene carbonate and toluene, and the rate of the polymerization in N,N‐dimethylformamide was fastest. The molecular weight of polyacrylonitrile agreed reasonably well with the theoretical molecular weight in N,N‐dimethylformamide. When chlorine was used in either the initiator or the catalyst, the rate of polymerization showed a trend of decreasing, and the molecular weight deviated from the theoretical predication significantly. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 100: 3372–3376, 2006 |
