Summary: A series of organic‐inorganic nanoparticles were synthesized by nitroxide‐mediated polymerization (NMP) of butyl acrylate initiated by a self‐assembled monolayer of an azo initiator. The azo initiator was immobilized on silica particles in the presence of a stable nitroxide radical, SG1 (an acyclic β‐phosphonylated nitroxide, N‐tert‐butyl‐N‐(1‐diethylphosphono‐2,2‐dimethyl)propyl nitroxide). After preliminary qualitative characterization by X‐ray spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier‐transform infrared (FTIR) measurements, the nanoparticles were studied by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) to determine the polymer grafting density and to permit a comparison with corresponding values of the initiator monolayer. It was demonstrated that the grafting from polymerization exhibits a controlled character with a low polydispersity ( < 1.2) in a large range of molecular weights of the grafted chains (from 4 000 up to 145 000 g · mol?1) under the conditions when the stable radical SG1, acting as chain growth moderator tethered to the inorganic core, was used.
< 1.2) in a large range of molecular weights of the grafted chains (from 4 000 up to 145 000 g · mol?1) under the conditions when the stable radical SG1, acting as chain growth moderator tethered to the inorganic core, was used. 