Abstract
Cobalt mediated radical polymerization (CMRP) is a living radical polymerization method, which has been recognized as one of the most efficient way to control the polymerization of vinyl esters. This research was divided into three parts. In the first chapter we demonstrated the different controlling pathway by applying three cobalt complex in the polymerization of vinyl acetate (VAc). Also the correlation between equilibrium constant and the redox potential of the complexes was established. Next, one of the controlling pathway in CMRP, degenerative transfer (DT), was studied. We build a model to describe the DT mechanism. The model was further proven by both simulation and experimental data. In the last part, CMRP was applied to obtain hydrophilic poly(acrylic acid)-b-poly(vinyl alcohol) block copolymer. The materials were studied by thermal analysis and mechanical characterization.