Junction-Controlled Topological Polymerization

Mao Li; Shusen Kang; Jia Du; Jian Zhang; Jinxin Wang; Katsuhiko Ariga

doi:10.1002/anie.201713026

Junction-Controlled Topological Polymerization

Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2018 Apr 23;57(18):4936-4939. doi: 10.1002/anie.201713026. Epub 2018 Feb 5.

Authors

Mao Li¹, Shusen Kang¹, Jia Du¹, Jian Zhang¹, Jinxin Wang¹, Katsuhiko Ariga^{2

3}

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Polymer Physics and Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry (CIAC), Changchun, 130022, China.
² World Premier International Research Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics, National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), Tsukuba, 305-0044, Japan.
³ Graduate School of Frontier Science, The University of Tokyo, Kashica, 277-0827, Japan.

PMID: 29369523
DOI: 10.1002/anie.201713026

Abstract

Methodology that enables the controlled synthesis of linear and branched polymers from an identical monomer will be a novel pathway for polymer synthesis and processing. Herein we first describe the control of one or both of the C(3)-C(3') and C(6)-C(6') coupling reactions of carbazolyl. In a second approach, an identical monomer containing two carbazolyls is polymerized using chemical and electrochemical oxidizers, leading to topologically controllable growth of linear polymers in weak oxidizer or of cross-linked polymer chains in strong oxidizer, with satisfactory long chain propagation of step growth polymerization (M_n =6.0×10⁴ g mol^-1 , M_w /M_n =2.3). This very simple polymerization with cheap reagents and low levels of waste has provided a flexible pathway for synthesis and processing of polymers.

Keywords: C−C coupling; carbazoles; polymerization; radical coupling; topological control.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't