Fully oxygen-tolerant reversible complexation mediated polymerization without external additives

Reversible complexation mediated polymerization (RCMP) is one of the most robust reversible deactivation radical polymerization (RDRP) systems. However, oxygen sensitivity hinders its practical applications in conventional RCMP. In this study, the fully oxygen-tolerant RCMP is successfully carried out under visible light irradiation using alkyl iodides as initiators and tertiary amines (TAs) as catalysts. This open-to-air RCMP requires neither additives nor prior deoxygenation. Furthermore, the polymerization exhibited first-order kinetics, and molecular weight increased linearly with monomer conversion, demonstrating “living” characteristics under open condition. We believe this minimalist method can offer new opportunities for the application of RCMP in an aerobic environment.