Synthetic Strategy for Preparing Chiral Double-semicrystalline Polyether Block Copolymers

Alaina J McGrath; Weichao Shi; Christina G Rodriguez; Edward J Kramer; Craig J Hawker; Nathaniel A Lynd

doi:10.1039/C4PY01503G

Synthetic Strategy for Preparing Chiral Double-semicrystalline Polyether Block Copolymers

Polym Chem. 2015 Mar 7;6(9):1465-1473. doi: 10.1039/C4PY01503G.

Authors

Alaina J McGrath¹, Weichao Shi¹, Christina G Rodriguez¹, Edward J Kramer², Craig J Hawker³, Nathaniel A Lynd¹

Affiliations

¹ Materials Research Laboratory, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA.
² Materials Research Laboratory, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA ; Materials Department, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA ; Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA.
³ Materials Research Laboratory, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA ; Materials Department, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA ; Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA.

Abstract

We report an effective strategy for the synthesis of semi-crystalline block copolyethers with well-defined architecture and stereochemistry. As an exemplary system, triblock copolymers containing either atactic (racemic) or isotactic (R or S) poly(propylene oxide) end blocks with a central poly(ethylene oxide) mid-block were prepared by anionic ring-opening procedures. Stereochemical control was achieved by an initial hydrolytic kinetic resolution of racemic terminal epoxides followed by anionic ring-opening polymerization of the enantiopure monomer feedstock. The resultant triblock copolymers were highly isotactic (meso triads [mm]% ~ 90%) with optical microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, wide angle x-ray scattering and small angle x-ray scattering being used to probe the impact of the isotacticity on the resultant polymer and hydrogel properties.

Abstract

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