Development of an Alpha-Diimine Aluminum Catalyst for Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization

Author

Mairo Yamano , '25

Date of Award

Spring 2025

Document Type

Thesis

Terms of Use

© 2025 Mairo Yamano. This work is freely available courtesy of the author. It may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) license. For all other uses, please contact the copyright holder.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Chemistry & Biochemistry Department

First Advisor

Christopher R. Graves

Abstract

Aluminum is an attractive metal in developing novel homogeneous catalysts due to its natural abundance, low cost, and benign environmental impact. The Graves group has been investigating its chemistry by developing metal complexes with redox non-innocent ligands. Thus, the previously reported (LMes ^2- )AlCl(THF) (L_Mes = N,N′-bis[2,4,6-trimethylphenyl]-2,3-dimethyl-1,4-diazabutadiene) will be investigated as a potential atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) catalyst. Using gel permeation chromatography and ¹H-NMR spectroscopy, this study investigates a model ATRP system of methyl methacrylate (MMA) with (L_Mes^2- )AlCl(THF). The dependence of polymerization outcomes on several reaction parameters was tested. In addition, a time-resolved polymerization study determined that (L_Mes ^2- )AlCl(THF) does catalyze a living ATRP process, but undergoes slow initiation kinetics.

Recommended Citation

Yamano, Mairo , '25, "Development of an Alpha-Diimine Aluminum Catalyst for Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization" (2025). Senior Theses, Projects, and Awards. 980.
https://works.swarthmore.edu/theses/980