High-throughput experimentation applied to atom transfer radical polymerization: Automated optimization of the copper catalysts removal from polymers

Abstract Combinatorial chemistry and high-throughput experimentation have drawn great attention in recent years because of their significant advantages in increasing the research productivity. One of the emerging fields is their application in polymer science. Herein we describe the high-throughput optimization of purification conditions for polymers prepared via atom transfer radical polymerization using an automated synthesizer. The effects of the column materials, column lengths and eluent volumes on the purification efficiency as well as the molecular weights of the obtained purified polymers were systematically investigated for the first time. The optimum purification conditions for the removal of copper catalysts are provided. As a result an online high-throughput purification workflow using SPE cartridges is now available for the utilization in automated parallel synthesizers for ATRP screening experiment.