Construction of Large‐Scale Highly Ordered Macroporous Monoliths of π‐Conjugated Polymers

Large scale of well‐ordered macroporous π‐conjugated polymer monoliths have been successfully prepared through a new approach using micrometer‐sized naphthalene crystals as templates. The macroporous monoliths of poly(p‐phenylenevinylene) (PPV) and poly(p‐phenyleneethynylene) (PPE) grew along the unidirectional freezing direction inside the template naphthalene crystals which lead to the formation of controlling morphologies and homogeneous diameters. The polymer monoliths show straight and lamella macroporous structures. The diameters of pores and the thickness of pore walls can be controlled by tuning the freezing temperature.

     

Covalently Scaffolded Inter‐π‐System Orientations in π‐Conjugated Polymers and Small Molecule Models

Organic π‐conjugated polymers have emerged as one of the most fascinating classes of materials as they have found utility in a host of plastic electronics technologies. The distance between π‐systems and their relative orientation dictate energy/charge transfer, conductivity, and photophysical properties of these materials in bulk. This Feature Article discusses π‐conjugated polymers and model compounds in which specific inter‐π‐system interactions are covalently enforced and the effect that the scaffolding has on optoelectronic properties.

     

Direct Synthesis of Poly(potassium 3‐sulfopropyl methacrylate) Cylindrical Polymer Brushes via ATRP Using a Supramolecular Complex With Crown Ether

A supramolecular complex between an ionic monomer 3‐sulfopropyl methacrylate (SPMAK) and crown ether 18‐crown‐6 (18C6) has been employed to prepare a strong anionic cylindrical polyelectrolyte brush poly(potassium 3‐sulfopropyl methacrylate) (PSPMAK) by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) in polar solvent dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). This strategy solved the problem of the solubilities of the incompatible hydrophobic poly‐initiator and hydrophilic ionic monomer. The formation of the PSPMAK brush is well proven by ¹H NMR, aqueous gel permeation chromatography (GPC), dynamic light scattering (DLS), static light scattering (SLS), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo‐TEM) measurements. Cleavage of the side chains and further analysis reveal that the initiating efficiency of the polymerization is as low as 0.35.

     

Preparation of Polar Ethylene–Norbornene Copolymers by Metallocene Terpolymerization with Triisobutylaluminium‐Protected But‐3‐en‐1‐ol

But‐3‐en‐1‐ol has been pre‐protected by triisobutylaluminium and terpolymerized with ethylene and norbornene by rac‐[Et(Ind)₂]ZrCl₂/MAO catalysts. The strong polarity of diisobutyl(but‐3‐en‐1‐oxy)aluminum causes a slight reduction in the catalyst activity and yields a small fraction of crystallinity. The but‐3‐en‐1‐ol content in the terpolymer is as high as 3.2% and can be readily adjusted by varying the reaction conditions. When the norbornene/ethylene ratio is over 10, the norbornene incorporation efficiency is not affected by the polar monomer and is close to that of the copolymerization. Similar to the ethylene/norbornene copolymers, the thermal properties of the obtained terpolymers are mainly determined by their norbornene contents.

     

Supramolecular Assembly of Gold Nanoparticles Mediated by Polypseudorotaxane with Thiolated β‐Cyclodextrin

Summary: A water‐soluble gold nanoparticle aggregate 2 was prepared by chloroauric acid and a polypseudorotaxane 1 of mono‐6‐thio‐β‐cyclodextrin with poly(propylene glycol) bis(2‐aminopropyl ether) ( ≈ 2 000) in the presence of sodium borohydride in N,N‐dimethylformamide (DMF) solution. The investigative results indicated that the gold nanoparticle aggregate 2 might act as an efficient DNA‐cleavage reagent.

A typical TEM image of gold nanoparticle aggregate 2 .     

Raspberry‐Like Aggregates Containing Secondary Nanospheres of Polystyrene‐block‐poly(4‐vinylpyridine) Micelles

Summary: Raspberry‐like aggregates containing secondary nanospheres were studied. The formation of raspberry‐like aggregates was due to complexation between core‐shell microspheres and core‐corona micelles. The core‐shell microspheres were synthesized with soap‐free polymerization of styrene and methyl acrylic acid, which included carboxyl groups in the periphery. The micelles were self‐assembled by polystyrene‐block‐poly(4‐vinylpyridine), which contained pyridine groups in the corona. The driven force to form raspberry‐like aggregates was due to the affinity between the carboxyl and pyridine groups. The morphology of the raspberry‐like aggregates could be tuned by changing the ratio of the microspheres to micelles. IR measurements suggested that the raspberry‐like aggregates were like zwitterions.

TEM image of the raspberry‐like aggregates formed at a molar ratio of MAA to 4VP at 1:4.     

Synthesis of Well‐Defined Telechelic Aromatic Polyamides by Chain‐Growth Polycondensation: Application to the Synthesis of Block Copolymers of Polyamide and Poly(tetrahydrofuran)

Well‐defined telechelic‐type aromatic polyamides having a secondary amino group and a phenyl ester moiety at each chain end were prepared by the chain‐growth polycondensation of phenyl 4‐(octylamino)benzoate ( 1 ) with initiator 2 (N‐tert‐butoxycarbonylated 1 ), followed by deprotection of the N‐protecting group of the initiator unit. This polycondensation was applied to the synthesis of well‐defined di‐ and triblock copolymers of aromatic polyamides and poly(tetrahydrofuran) (poly(THF)) by the reaction of the terminal secondary amino group of the polyamide with the living cationic propagating group of poly(THF).

Block copolymers of polyamide and poly(tetrahydrofuran).     

Enzyme‐Catalyzed Ring‐Opening Polymerization of Unsubstituted β‐Lactam

The synthesis of poly(β‐alanine) by Candida antarctica lipase B immobilized as novozyme 435 catalyzed ring‐opening of 2‐azetidinone is reported. After removal of cyclic side products and low molecular weight species pure linear poly(β‐alanine) is obtained. The formation of the polymer is confirmed with ¹H NMR spectroscopy and MALDI‐TOF mass spectrometry. The average degree of polymerization of the obtained polymer is limited to = 8 by its solubility in the reaction medium. Control experiments with β‐alanine as a substrate confirmed that the ring structure of the 2‐azetidinone is necessary to obtain the polymer.

     

Formation of Silica/Poly(p‐dioxanone) Microspheres by Surface‐Initiated Polymerization

A polymeric film of a biodegradable poly(p‐dioxanone) was grown from 490 nm silica particles by monolayer formation via self‐assembly of hydroxy‐terminated triethoxysilane and subsequent surface‐initiated ring‐opening polymerization of p‐dioxanone. The resulting silica/poly(p‐dioxanone) hybrid particles were characterized by means of ¹H NMR spectroscopy, IR spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, field‐emission scanning electron microscopy, and energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy.

     

Poly(cyclic imino ether)s Beyond 2‐Substituted‐2‐oxazolines

2‐Oxazolines (2‐OZO) are 5‐membered cyclic imino ethers whose cationic ring‐opening polymerization (CROP) mechanism and resulting polymer properties are extensively studied. However, also 6‐ and 7‐membered cyclic imino ethers can be polymerized via CROP. Together with the much less studied 4‐ and 5‐substituted main‐chain chiral poly(2‐oxazoline)s (P‐2‐OZO), these compounds are interesting monomers to enhance the versatility of (co)poly(cyclic imino ether)s. To emphasize the potential of such alternative cyclic imino ether monomers, we provide an overview on the polymerizations of 2‐oxazine (2‐OZI) and chiral 4‐ and 5‐substituted 2‐OZO as well as of selected properties of the resulting polymers. In addition, the hydrolysis of these polymers into the corresponding poly(alkylene imine)s will be addressed.

     

Poly(amido‐amine)s Carrying Primary Amino Groups as Side Substituents

Poly(amido‐amine)s carrying primary amino groups as side substituents have been obtained by polyaddition of N‐triphenylmethyl‐monosubstituted 1,2‐diaminoethane (TPHMAE) to 2,2‐bisacrylamido acetic acid or 1,4‐bisacryloylpiperazine and subsequent removal of the protecting triphenylmethyl group by treating the resultant polymers with aqueous hydrochloric acid. Soluble polymers can be also obtained directly by the polyaddition of monoprotonated 1,2‐diaminoethane to 2,2‐bisacrylamido acetic acid in the presence of a limited amount of added acetic or hydrochloric acid. The resultant polymers are of a higher molecular weight than the corresponding ones prepared from TPHMAE. By adding a limited amount of N‐triphenylmethyl‐monosubstituted 1,2‐diaminoethane to the monomer mixtures leading to poly(amido‐amine)s with a recognised potential as nonviral vectors, such as ISA 23 and ISA 1, a controlled number of pendant primary amino groups have been introduced. By this procedure, ISA 23 and ISA 1 become suitable as polymer carriers for carboxylated drugs as well as amenable to the labelling techniques by fluorescent probes commonly employed for proteins.

Formation of monoprotected primary diamines.     

Supramolecular Network Based on the Self‐Assembly of γ‐Cyclodextrin with Poly(ethylene glycol) and its Shape Memory Effect

A novel supramolecular network has been prepared based on the formation of inclusion complexes between γ‐cyclodextrin and poly(ethylene glycol), in which the PEG chains are interlocked by γ‐CD rings. This PEG/γ‐CD network exhibits good shape memory behavior because of the crosslinked structure. The crosslinked PEG/γ‐CD inclusion complexes and PEG crystallites account for the fixing phase and reversible phase, respectively. The characteristics of the materials have been investigated by ¹H NMR spectroscopy, XRD, DSC, DMA, viscosity tests, and swelling measurements.

     

A Facile Two‐Step Route to Branched Polyisoprenes via ABn‐Macromonomers

A facile two‐step synthesis for branched poly(isoprene)s (PI) based on polyaddition of AB_n‐type macromonomers is described. The synthesis of the macromonomers was achieved by anionic polymerization of isoprene and subsequent end‐capping of the polymers by addition of chlorodimethylsilane to the living carbanions. This led to PI‐based macromonomers with narrow polydispersity ( / < 1.15) and molecular weights in the range of 1 700 – 22 100 g · mol⁻¹. Synthesis of the branched polymers was carried out by a hydrosilylation‐based polymerization of the macromonomers. Characterization via SEC, SEC‐MALLS, coupled SEC‐viscosimetry and ¹H‐NMR‐spectroscopy supported the formation of branched structures. Interestingly, these branched polymers exhibited α‐values that were similar to those reported for hyperbranched polymers based on AB₂‐monomers.

     

Polypyrrole Nanospheres with Magnetic and Cell‐Targeting Capabilities

The preparation of polypyrrole/Fe₃O₄ nanospheres by a facile mini‐emulsion polymerization method is investigated using poly(ethylene glycol), poly(ethylene oxide), poly(vinyl alcohol), and hyaluronic acid as surfactants. Hyaluronic acid is deemed the most suitable surfactant since it results in well‐dispersed nanospheres of 80–100 nm, and offers the advantages of biocompatibility, cell adhesive property, and the availability of functional groups for attachment of other molecules. These polypyrrole/Fe₃O₄ nanospheres are magnetic and can be further functionalized with a cancer antibody, herceptin. Our results show that this combination of hyaluronic acid and herceptin results in high specific uptake of the nanospheres by cancer cells.

     

One‐Pot Difunctionalization of Poly(ω‐pentadecalactone) with Thiol‐Thiol or Thiol‐Acrylate Groups,Catalyzed by Candida antarctica Lipase B

Summary: An enzymatic one‐pot procedure has been developed for the synthesis of difunctional polyesters containing terminal thiols and acrylates. Candida antarctica lipase B was used as a catalyst for the ring‐opening polymerization of ω‐pentadecalactone. The polymerization was initiated with 6‐mercaptohexanol, then terminated with γ‐thiobutyrolactone or vinyl acrylate to create two types of difunctional polyesters with a very high content of thiol‐thiol or thiol‐acrylate end‐groups.

Difunctionalization of poly‐PDL.     

Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization of Styrene and Methyl Methacrylate from Mesoporous Ordered Silica Particles

Summary: Mesoporous silica was used as substrate for the grafting of alkyl halides initiators. The control over the surface‐initiated polymerization of styrene and MMA, in terms of molar mass and molar mass distribution, was successfully achieved using an ATRP mechanism. The occurrence of the polymerization inside the mesopores was confirmed by thermogravimetric analysis.

Transmission electron microscopy and schematic representation of mesoporous silica functionalized by the anchored iniator (left) and the grafted polymer (right).