Advanced Functional Polymers and Nanocomposites

Articles

Vol. 1 (2026)

Kinetic Investigation of Poly(2-(Dimethylamino)Ethyl Acrylate) (PDMAEA) Synthesized by RAFT Polymerization

Submitted
January 19, 2026
Published
2026-01-19

Abstract

Poly(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl acrylate) (PDMAEA) is an important pH-responsive and cationic polymer with broad applications in biomedicine and materials engineering, yet its controlled synthesis remains challenging. In this study, reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization was employed to systematically investigate the polymerization kinetics of DMAEA under various conditions. A major obstacle identified was the degradation of the monomer into acrylic acid and dimethylaminoethanol, which significantly slows polymerization kinetics. While molecular weight increased linearly with monomer conversion up to moderate levels, achieving low dispersity at high conversion proved difficult, with values typically ranging between 1.3 and 1.8. Improved control over the polymerization, evidenced by a successful chain-extension experiment, was achieved by reducing the target degree of polymerization, lowering the reaction temperature, and employing macro-chain transfer agents.

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