Ethyl Methacrylate → 2-Hydroxypropyl methacrylate

A polymer feed solution was prepared by combining 30.76 g methylanthracene methacrylate monomer, 16.6 g 3-hydroxypropyl methacrylate monomer, 16.0 g ethyl methacrylate, and 50 g propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate (PGMEA) in a 250 ml three neck, round-bottom flask fitted with a mechanical stirrer, thermal controller, thermal probe, heating mantle and nitrogen purge inlet (sweep). The reaction mixture was heated until the temperature of the reaction mixture reached 80° C. 16.15 g PGMEA solution containing 10 wt % Vazo 67 azo initiator (white powder, Dupont) was next added to the flask. The flask was heated until the temperature of the reaction mixture reached 90° C. and maintained for 8 hours with stirring. Heating was stopped and the reactor was allowed to cool down to 40° C. The resulting polymer solution was precipitated with methyl alcohol (10× excess of reaction mixture), filtered and vacuum dried, to provide Poly(ANTMA-co-HPMA-co-EMA) polymer [Mw=8K; PDI=2.5; ANTMA:HPMA; EMA=30:30:40 mol %, by 13C-NMR].