Gupta Sachin, Janata Miroslav, Čadová Eva, Raus Vladimír
Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences Heyrovského nám. 2 162 06 Prague 6 Czech Republic
Chem Sci. 2024 Jul 12;15(32):12739-12753. doi: 10.1039/d4sc01739k. eCollection 2024 Aug 14.
Synthesis of complex polymeric architectures (CPAs) reversible-deactivation radical polymerization (RDRP) currently relies on the rather inefficient attachment of monofunctional initiation/transfer sites onto CPA precursors. This drawback seriously limits the overall functionality of the resulting (macro)initiators and, consequently, also the total number of installable polymeric chains, which represents a significant bottleneck in the design of new polymeric materials. Here, we show that the (macro)initiator functionality can be substantially amplified by using trichloroacetyl isocyanate as a highly efficient vehicle for the rapid and clean introduction of trichloroacetyl groups (TAGs) into diverse precursors. Through extensive screening of polymerization conditions and comprehensive NMR and triple-detection SEC studies, we demonstrate that TAGs function as universal trifunctional initiators of copper-mediated RDRP of different monomer classes, affording low-dispersity polymers in a wide molecular weight range. We thus unlock access to a whole new group of ultra-high chain density CPAs previously inaccessible simple RDRP protocols. We highlight new opportunities in CPA synthesis through numerous examples, including the one-pot synthesis of a novel "star-on-star" CPA, the preparation of β-cyclodextrin-based 45-arm star polymers, and facile grafting from otherwise problematic cellulose substrates both in solution and from surface, obtaining effortlessly ultra-dense, ultra-high-molecular weight bottle-brush copolymers and thick spatially-controlled polymeric coatings, respectively.
复杂聚合物结构(CPAs)的合成——可逆失活自由基聚合(RDRP)目前依赖于将单官能引发/转移位点相当低效地连接到CPA前体上。这一缺点严重限制了所得(宏观)引发剂的整体功能,因此也限制了可安装聚合物链的总数,这在新型聚合物材料的设计中是一个重大瓶颈。在这里,我们表明,通过使用三氯乙酰异氰酸酯作为一种高效载体,将三氯乙酰基(TAGs)快速、干净地引入各种前体中,可以显著放大(宏观)引发剂的功能。通过对聚合条件的广泛筛选以及全面的核磁共振和三检测尺寸排阻色谱研究,我们证明TAGs作为不同单体类别的铜介导RDRP的通用三官能引发剂,在很宽的分子量范围内提供低分散性聚合物。因此,我们开启了获得全新一组超高链密度CPAs的途径,而这是以前简单的RDRP方案无法实现的。我们通过大量实例突出了CPA合成中的新机遇,包括新型“星上星”CPA的一锅法合成、基于β-环糊精的45臂星形聚合物的制备,以及分别在溶液中和从表面对原本有问题的纤维素底物进行简便接枝,轻松获得超致密、超高分子量的刷状共聚物和厚的空间可控聚合物涂层。