The influence of the activating agent on the controlled synthesis of polyacrylonitrile using systems based on copper(I) bromide and tris(2-pyridylmethyl)amine.

The polymerization of acrylonitrile in the presence of catalytic systems based on copper(I) bromide, tris(2-pyridylmethyl)amine, and different reducing/activating agents is studied. It is found that the polymerization is controlled and that the activating agent is regenerated by a single-electron transfer. Moreover, the polymerization leads to the formation of polymers with high molecular weight and relatively narrow molecular-weight distribution. It is found that glucose and ascorbic acid are the most efficient among the studied activating agents in terms of the polymerization rate and the control over the molecular-weight characteristics of synthesized polymers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]