Smart Access to Sequentially and Architecturally Controlled Block Polymers via a Simple Catalytic Polymerization System

Catalytic production of olefin block copolymers via chain shuttling polymerization.

We report a catalytic system that produces olefin block copolymers with alternating semicrystalline and amorphous segments, achieved by varying the ratio of alpha-olefin to ethylene in the two types of blocks. The system uses a chain shuttling agent to transfer growing chains between two distinct catalysts with different monomer selectivities in a single polymerization reactor. The block copoly...

Controlled synthesis of thermoresponsive polymers derived from L-proline via RAFT polymerization.

Well-defined polymers derived from L-proline are synthesized using reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization and the amino acid-based polymers exhibit thermosensitive phase separation at lower critical solution temperatures (LCST = 15-45 degrees C) in aqueous medium.

Block and Graft Copolymerization by Controlled/Living Radical Polymerization Methods

Synthesis of (Bio)degradable Polymers via Thiol-ene Click Polymerization

Towards the development of (bio)degradable polymers with medical relevance a non-radical thiolene synthesis route is investigated. In this work, step growth polymerization based on Michael addition click reactions is presented. Homotelechelic RAFT polymers were conjugated leading to polymers with molar weight distribution typical for a step growth polymerization, tailing up to 100 000 g∙mol-1 i...

Mesogen-jacketed liquid crystalline polymers via stable free radical polymerization

Stable free radical polymerization has been used in the controlled synthesis of poly(2,5-bis[(4butylbenzoyl)oxy]styrene), PBBOS. This “mesogen-jacketed liquid crystalline polymer”, which has mesogenic units attached directly to the backbone in a side-on mode, has been found to exhibit thermotropic liquid crystallinity similar to more conventional main-chain architectures. Stable free radical po...