“…These difficulties were largely overcome during the past 2 decades by careful selection of reaction conditions, for example, a polar solvent (THF) at a low temperature (Ϫ78°C) and a bulky initiator. [5][6][7] The introduction of a propagating center ligand such as LiCl to the reaction, in particular, led to the truly living anionic polymerization of some methacrylates and even of a few acrylates, allowing the preparation of methacrylate-and acrylate-based block copolymers with a predictable molecular weight and a narrow molecular weight distribution. 5 On the basis of these achievements, the anionic polymerization of nBMA was investigated in THF at Ϫ78°C with either 1,1-diphenyl-3-methylpentyllithium or dilithium 1,1,4,4-tetraphenylbutane as monofunctional or difunctional initiators, respectively, with or without LiCl.…”