Highly Fluorescent Conjugated Copolymers Containing Dithieno[3,2‐b:2′,3′‐d]pyrrole

Three copolymers that incorporate dithieno[3,2‐b:2′,3′‐d]pyrrole with fluorene, carbazole, or pyridine have been prepared by Suzuki reaction and characterized by NMR spectroscopy and GPC. A new homopolymer of dithieno[3,2‐b:2′,3′‐d]pyrrole was also synthesized for the comparison of their structure–property relationships. Their thermal, optical, and electrochemical properties have been investigated. All the polymers exhibit good thermal stability with decomposition temperatures around 400 °C. The fluorescence quantum efficiencies of all these polymers in solution are in the range of 33.5–55.5%. The copolymers also show high film fluorescence quantum efficiencies of about 20% while the fluorescence of the homopolymer film is almost quenched.

     

Preparation of Well‐Defined Poly[(ethylene oxide)‐block‐(sodium 2‐acrylamido‐2‐methyl‐1‐propane sulfonate)] Diblock Copolymers by Water‐Based Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization

Summary: Well‐defined poly[(ethylene oxide)‐block‐(sodium 2‐acrylamido‐2‐methyl‐1‐propane sulfonate)] diblock copolymers [P(EO_m‐b‐AMPS_n)], have been obtained by water‐based ATRP using α‐methoxy‐ω‐(2‐methylbromoisobutyrate) poly(ethylene oxide)s (MeO‐P[EO]_m‐BrⁱB with m ranging from 12 to 113) and CuBr · 2Bpy (Bpy for 2,2′‐bipyridyl) as macroinitiator and catalytic complex, respectively. Compared to direct polymerization in water, it has been demonstrated that the water/methanol (3:1, v/v) mixture is better suited for predicting the final number‐average molar mass from the initial monomer‐to‐macroinitiator molar ratio and achieving a quite narrow polydispersity, even at high monomer conversion ( ≈ 1.4 at 80% conversion). The effect of temperature, solvent mixture composition and addition of NaCl salt on the polymerization rate and extent of control over the copolymer molecular parameters have been highlighted as well.

     

Synthesis and Characterization of α,ω‐Heterofunctional Poly(ethylene oxide) Macromonomers

A novel α,ω‐heterofunctional poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) macromonomer possessing methacryloyl and thienyl end groups was prepared by ring‐opening polymerization of ethylene oxide initiated by potassium thienylethoxide and termination of the living PEO ends with methacryloyl chloride. Incorporation of methacryloyl and thienyl groups was confirmed by free‐radical and oxidative polymerization processes, respectively, and by means of ¹H NMR analysis.

     

Addition‐Fragmentation Chain Transfer Involving Dimers of α‐Methylvinyl Monomers Studied by ESR Spectroscopy: Competition between Fragmentation and Bimolecular Termination

Detection of the adduct radical by ESR spectroscopy and after‐effect ESR measurements of the adduct radical concentrations in the photosensitized polymerization of styrene (St) in the presence of dimers of α‐methylstyrene (MSD) and methyl methacrylate have revealed that the dominant mechanism of adduct radical loss changes from bimolecular termination to fragmentation as the temperature is increased beyond 90 °C for St/MSD.

     

Multiple Sol‐Gel Transitions of PEG‐PCL‐PEG Triblock Copolymer Aqueous Solution

An aqueous solution of a poly(ethylene glycol)‐polycaprolactone‐poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG‐PCL‐PEG) with a composition of EG₁₃CL₂₃EG₁₃ undergoes multiple transitions, from sol‐to‐gel (hard gel)‐to‐sol‐to‐gel (soft gel)‐to‐sol, in the concentration range 20.0∼35.0 wt.‐%. Through dynamic mechanical analysis, UV‐vis spectrophotometry, small angle X‐ray scattering, differential scanning calorimetry, microcalorimetry and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy, the mechanism of these transitions was investigated. The hard gel and soft gel are distinguished by the crystalline and amorphous state of the PCL. The extent of PEG dehydration and the molecular motion of each block also played a critical role in the multiple transitions. This paper suggests a new mechanism for these multiple transitions driven by temperature changes.

     

Supramolecular Thermoresponsive Hyperbranched Polymers Constructed from Poly(N‐Isopropylacrylamide) Containing One Adamantyl and Two β‐Cyclodextrin Terminal Moieties

Poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) oligomer containing one adamantyl (AD) and two β‐cyclodextrin (β‐CD) moieties at the chain terminals, AD‐PNIPAM‐(β‐CD)₂, was synthesized by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) and successive click reactions. In aqueous solution, AD‐PNIPAM‐(β‐CD)₂ spontaneously forms supramolecular thermoresponsive hyperbranched polymers via molecular recognition between AD and β‐CD moieties. To the best of our knowledge, this work represents the first report of the construction of supramolecular thermoresponsive hyperbranched polymers from well‐defined polymeric AB₂ building units.

     

Synthesis of Well‐Defined Figure‐of‐Eight‐Shaped Polymers by a Combination of ATRP and Click Chemistry

Well‐defined figure‐of‐eight‐shaped (8‐shaped) polystyrene (PS) with controlled molecular weight and narrow polydispersities has been prepared by the combination of atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) and click chemistry. The synthesis involves two steps: 1) Preparation of a linear tetrafunctional PS with two azido groups, one at each end of the polymer chain, and two acetylene groups at the middle of the chain. 2) Intramolecular cyclization of the linear tetrafunctional PS at a very low concentration by a click reaction to produce the 8‐shaped polystyrenes. The resulting intermediates and the target polymers were characterized by ¹H NMR and FT‐IR spectroscopy, and gel permeation chromatography. The glass transition temperatures (T_gs) were determined by differential scanning calorimetry and it was found that the decrease in chain mobility by cyclization resulted in higher T_gs for 8‐shaped polystyrenes as compared to their corresponding precursors.

     

Kinetic Analysis of A2 + AB2 Polymerization Approach

The kinetic model of the co‐polycondensation with A₂ and AB₂ type monomers is developed and the analytical expressions of the various molecular parameters of the products are derived rigorously. The monomer feed ratio (α) of A₂ to AB₂ significantly affects the molecular parameters and the critical condition of gelation. Gelation can be avoided if α is > . At the critical state, the degree of branching decreases firstly and reaches its minimum value at about α≈0.22. Then, it increases with increasing α‐value. In comparison with experimental results, non‐equal reactivity of the active groups should be considered.

     

Preparation of Poly(ε‐caprolactone)/Clay Nanocomposites by Microwave‐Assisted In Situ Ring‐Opening Polymerization

PCL/clay nanocomposites were prepared by microwave‐assisted in situ ROP of ε‐caprolactone in the presence of either unmodified clay (Cloisite® Na⁺) or clay modified by quaternary ammonium cations containing hydroxyl groups (Cloisite 30B). This PCL showed significantly improved monomer conversion and molecular weight compared with that produced by conventional heating. An intercalated structure was observed for the PCL/Cloisite Na⁺ nanocomposites, while a predominantly exfoliated structure was observed for the PCL/Cloisite 30B nanocomposites. Microwave irradiation proved to be an effective and efficient method for the preparation of PCL/clay nanocomposites.

     

Alk‐1‐ene Polymerization in the Presence of a Monocyclopentadienyl Zirconium(IV) Acetamidinate Catalyst: Microstructural and Mechanistic Insights

Suitably activated, (Cp*){N(^tBu)C(Me)N(Et)}ZrMe₂ is known to initiate the ‘living’ and isotactic‐selective polymerization of alk‐1‐enes, and it can be used to synthesize block copolymers and stereoblock polymers. We report a full molecular kinetic investigation of propene, but‐1‐ene, and hex‐1‐ene polymerization with a MAO‐activated catalyst system. By combining NMR microstructural polymer analysis with QM modeling of the active species, the complicated regio‐ and stereochemistry of the polyinsertion process, as well as the active chain‐transfer pathways, are investigated. The perspectives and limitations of this catalyst for application in (stereo)block polymerizations are discussed.

     

Novel Chromophore‐Functionalized Poly[2‐(trifluoromethyl) adamantyl acrylate‐methyl vinyl urethane]s with High Poling Stabilities of the Nonlinear Optical Effect

Nonlinear optical vinyl polymers with high glass transition temperature (T_g) were prepared by the functionalization of a fluorinated acrylate‐methyl vinyl isocyanate copolymer. A modified pathway to obtain a thiophene bridged chromophore was worked out. Poled films of the polymers show a fairly high and stable nonlinear optical response, even at elevated temperatures.

The thiophene‐bridged chromophore, based on a substituted dicyanomethylene‐dihydrofuran acceptor, synthesized here.     

Synthesis and Characterization of β‐Cyclodextrin Based Functional Monomers and its Copolymers with N‐isopropylacrylamide

Two novel monovinyl β‐cyclodextrin (β‐CD) monomers are synthesized. Their chemical compositions are characterized by means of element analysis, NMR and FT‐IR spectroscopy. The results show that the synthesis techniques used are convenient and efficient. Using N‐isopropylacrylamide as a comonomer, two novel linear copolymers can also be synthesized.

Synthesis route of monovinyl β‐CD monomers.     

Structural Characterization and Degradability of Poly(L‐lactic acid)s Incorporating Phenyl‐Substituted α‐Hydroxy Acids as Comonomers

Three types of copolymers of poly(L ‐lactic acid) (PLLA) were synthesized by direct polycondensation of L ‐lactic acid and phenyl‐substituted α‐hydroxy acids (L ‐phenyllactic acid and D ‐ and L ‐mandelic acids). It was found that the glass transition temperature of the copolymers comprising L ‐mandelic acid became significantly higher (from 58 to 69 °C) with increasing content of L ‐mandelic acid (from 0 to 50 mol‐%) although the M _w decreased (from 87 000 to 4 000 Da). The cast films of the L ‐mandelic acid containing copolymers showed improved tensile properties compared with those of the PLLA film. This may be due to a pinning effect of the L ‐mandelic acid units on the helix formation of PLLA, although 30% of the units were racemized. The enzymatic degradability of the L ‐mandelic acid containing copolymers was much higher than that of PLLA, as analyzed with Proteinase K® originating from Tritirachium album.

Synthesis of copolymers of L ‐lactic acid and phenyl‐substituted α‐hydroxy acids.     

Formation of o‐Phenylenediamine Oligomers and their Self‐Assembly into One‐Dimensional Structures in Aqueous Medium

Summary: Uniform one‐dimensional (1D) structures of o‐phenylenediamine (oPD) oligomers are obtained by direct mix of AgNO₃ and oPD aqueous solutions at room temperature. The formation of the 1D structures involves two stages: (1) oxidation of oPD by AgNO₃, yielding individual oPD oligomers; and (2) self‐assembly of the oligomers, forming the 1D structures. Upon decreasing medium pH, the 1D structures can break‐apart to form individual oligomers, or vice versa. It is also found that both the concentration and molar ratio of reactants can influence the morphology of the structures thus formed.

Schematic illustration of the formation mechanism of 1D structures from oPD and AgNO₃, and energy‐dispersed spectrum of the precipitate.     

Well‐Organized CdS/C60 in Block Copolymer Micellar Cores

CdS nanoparticles of 4.5 nm diameter were synthesized in poly(2‐vinylpyridine) micellar cores which were obtained by solvating a polystyrene‐block‐poly(2‐vinylpyridine) block copolymer in polystyrene‐selective toluene. Then, a C₆₀‐toluene solution was dispersed into the CdS micelle solution with stirring. This led to the well‐defined organization of two different nanoparticles; specifically: a CdS NP decorated by several/dozens of C₆₀ molecules, because C₆₀ molecules were strongly coordinated with pyridine molecules in the micellar cores by charge‐transfer complexation C–P2VP^δ+. A harmoniously organized CdS/C₆₀ micellar structure was clearly verified by transmission electron microscopy. Fluorescent quenching of CdS nanoparticles, which was strongly affected by neighboring C₆₀ molecules, was observed.

     

Synthesis and Photovoltaic Properties of Ester Group Functionalized Polythiophene Derivatives

To increase the open circuit voltage (V_OC) of polymer solar cells (PSCs) based on polythiophene, two new ester group functionalized polythiophene derivatives, PCTDT and PCTBDT, were designed and synthesized via alternating copolymerization of thiophene‐3‐carboxylate (CT) with the 2,2′‐bithiophene (DT) and benzodithiophene (BDT) units, respectively. The resulting copolymers exhibited broad and strong absorptions in the visible region, which was similar to that of the commonly used poly(3‐hexylthiophene) (P3HT). Through cyclic voltammetry measurements, it was found that both copolymers showed lower HOMO energy levels (−5.27 eV for PCTDT and −5.36 eV for PCTBDT) than that of P3HT (−5.03 eV), indicating that the HOMO energy level could be efficiently reduced by introducing the ester group into the polymer side chain. Photovoltaic properties of the copolymers blended with [6,6]‐phenyl‐C₆₁‐butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) as electron acceptor were investigated. The obtained two devices possessed both relatively large short circuit current (I_SC) and higher V_OC than that of P3HT:PCBM blend. For PCTBDT:PCBM blend, a power conversion efficiency (PCE) up to 2.32%, an I_SC of 6.94 mA · cm⁻², and a V_OC of 0.80 V were observed while PCTDT:PCBM system demonstrated a PCE of 1.75% with a V_OC of 0.68 V.

     

A Cationic Water‐Soluble Poly(p‐phenylenevinylene) Derivative: Highly Sensitive Biosensor for Iron‐Sulfur Protein Detection

Summary: A new water‐soluble cationic ammonium‐functionalized poly(p‐phenylenevinylene) (PPV‐NEtMe) was successfully synthesized and exhibited high sensitivity (K_sv = 6.9 × 10⁷ M ⁻¹) on rubredoxin, a type of anionic iron‐sulfur (Fe‐S) proteins. Further investigation showed that the biosensitivity of the cationic conjugated polymer is strongly dependent on the nature of the buffer solution and the concentration of the conjugated polymer used in the analyses.

The schematic diagram of anionic rubredoxin detected by PPV‐NEtMe.     

Plasma‐Initiated Controlled/Living Radical Polymerization of Methyl Methacrylate in the Presence of 2‐Cyanoprop‐2‐yl 1‐dithionaphthalate (CPDN)

Summary: Plasma‐initiated controlled/living radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) was carried out in the presence of 2‐cyanoprop‐2‐yl 1‐dithionaphthalate. Well‐defined poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), with a narrow polydispersity, could be synthesized. The polymerization is proposed to occur via a RAFT mechanism. Chain‐extension reactions were also successfully carried out to obtain higher molecular weight PMMA and PMMA‐block‐PSt copolymer.

Dependence of ln([M]₀/[M]) on post‐polymerization time (above), and \overline M _{\rm n} and PDI against conversion (below) for plasma initiated RAFT polymerization of MMA at 25 °C.     

Cell Uptake and Trafficking Behavior of Non‐covalent,Coiled‐coil Based Polymer–Drug Conjugates

This paper reports on the cell uptake and trafficking properties of a series of non‐covalent polymer–drug conjugates. These nanomedicines are composed of a poly(N‐(2‐hydroxypropyl)methacrylamide) backbone functionalized with multiple copies of a drug. The drug moieties are attached to the polymer via a non‐covalent, so called coiled coil motif, which is formed by heterodimerization of two complementary peptide strands, one of which is attached to the polymer carrier and the other to the drug. Cytotoxicity and FACS experiments, which were carried out with model anticancer drug or fluorophore conjugates, provided insight into the cell uptake and trafficking behavior of these conjugates.

     

Ring‐Opening Polymerization of ε‐Caprolactone by Poly(ethylene glycol) by an Activated Monomer Mechanism

Summary: The polymerization of ε‐caprolactone (CL) in the presence of HCl · Et₂O by an activated monomer mechanism was performed to synthesize diblock or triblock copolymers composed of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and poly(ε‐caprolactone) (PCL). The obtained PCLs had molecular weights close to the theoretical values calculated from the CL to PEG molar ratios and exibited monomodal GPC curves. We successfully prepared PEG and PCL block copolymers by a metal‐free method.

The non‐metal catalyzed living ring‐opening polymerisation of ε‐caprolactone by PEG.