Multiarm star polymers with peripheral dendritic PMMA arms through Diels–Alder click reaction

Dendritic 2‐ and 4‐arm PMMA‐based star polymers with furan‐protected maleimide at their focal point, (PMMA)_2n‐MI and (PMMA)_4n‐MI were efficiently clicked with the peripheral anthracene functionalized multiarm star polymer, (α‐anthryl functionalized‐polystyrene)_m‐poly(divinyl benzene) ((α‐anthryl‐PS)_m‐polyDVB) through the Diels–Alder reaction resulting in corresponding multiarm star block copolymers: (PMMA)_2n‐(PS)_m‐polyDVB and (PMMA)_4n‐(PS)_m‐polyDVB, respectively. Molecular weights (M_w,TDGPC), hydrodynamic radius (R_h), and intrinsic viscosity (η) of the multiarm star polymers were determined using three‐detection GPC (TD‐GPC). The high efficiency of this methodology to obtain such sterically demanding macromolecular constructs was deduced using ¹H‐NMR and UV–vis spectroscopy. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2010