A new method of producing carbon-centered radicals was discovered through the reaction of an alkyl iodide (R-I) with organic salts to reversibly generate the corresponding alkyl radical (R(•)). Via this new reaction, the organic salts were used as new and highly efficient organic catalysts in living radical polymerization. The catalysts included common and inexpensive compounds such as tetrabutylammonium iodide and methyltributylphosphonium iodide. Notably, the catalysts were highly reactive. They enabled the synthesis of high-molecular-weight polymers (up to Mn = 140,000) and the control of acrylate polymerization, which had been difficult with other organic catalysts. The organic salt catalysts were highly versatile, reacting with methacrylate, acrylate, styrene, acrylonitrile, and functional methacrylate monomers. Well-defined block copolymers were also prepared by using this method. A kinetic study quantitatively confirmed the high reactivity of these catalysts. Attractive features of this system include its low cost, its ease of operation, and its ability to access a wide range of polymer designs.

Photocontrolled organocatalyzed living radical polymerization was conducted over a wide range of irradiation wavelengths (350-750 nm). The polymerization was induced and controlled at the desired wavelengths by exploiting suitable organic catalysts. This system was finely responsive to the irradiation wavelength; the polymerization was instantly switched on and off, and the polymerization rate was sensitively modulated by altering the irradiation wavelength. The polymer molecular weight and its distribution (M(w)/M(n) = 1.1-1.4) were well controlled for methacrylate monomers up to fairly high conversions in many cases. The monomer scope encompassed various functional methacrylates, and their block copolymers were obtained. The feasibility of such a wide range of wavelengths and the fine response to the wavelength are unprecedented features. As a unique application of the wavelength-responsive nature of this system, we demonstrated "one-pot" selective regulation of living radical polymerization and another type of polymerization (ring opening polymerization), where the regulation was achieved by simply altering the irradiation wavelength. Facile operation and applicability to a wide range of polymer designs are advantages of this polymerization.

Photoinduced reversible complexation mediated polymerization (photo-RCMP) was developed as a new photoinduced living radical polymerization (LRP). It consisted of an alkyl iodide as a dormant species and an amine as a catalyst, using visible light at 350−600 nm. The amine catalysts include such common compounds as tributylamine. Mechanistically, the polymerization is induced by the photolysis of the dormant species and dormant species/catalyst complex, which frequently occurs as the main activation process. The polymer molecular weight and its distribution (M w /M n = 1.1−1.4) were well controlled in the polymerizations of methyl methacrylate and some functional methacrylates up to fairly high conversions in many cases. Perfectly no polymerization took place without photoirradiation, meaning that the system is an ideal photo "on"−"off" switchable system. The polymerization rate was also finely tunable by the external irradiation power. Attractive features of photo-RCMP include the uses of inexpensive compounds and visible light, good polydispersity control, good tolerance to functional groups, and fine response to external photoirradiation.