Near-Infrared, Light-Induced Cationic and Radical RAFT Polymerization Catalyzed by Iron Complex

A near-infrared (NIR) light induced controlled cationic polymerization is presented here. The halide abstraction reaction between the cyclopentadienyl iron dicarbonyl dimer (Fe2(Cp)2(CO)4) and an organic halide is utilized to generate initial radicals or cations under mild conditions, which can be further combined with both radical and cationic reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. Well-defined poly(vinyl...