Stimuli-responsive rotaxane-branched dendronized polymers with tunable thermal and rheological properties

Yu Zhu; Hanqiu Jiang; Weiwei Wu; Xiao-Qin Xu; Xu-Qing Wang; Wei-Jian Li; Wei-Tao Xu; GengXin Liu; Yubin Ke; Wei Wang; Hai-Bo Yang

doi:10.1038/s41467-023-41134-8

Stimuli-responsive rotaxane-branched dendronized polymers with tunable thermal and rheological properties

Nat Commun. 2023 Aug 31;14(1):5307. doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-41134-8.

Authors

Yu Zhu¹, Hanqiu Jiang^{2

3}, Weiwei Wu⁴, Xiao-Qin Xu¹, Xu-Qing Wang⁵, Wei-Jian Li¹, Wei-Tao Xu¹, GengXin Liu⁴, Yubin Ke^{2

3}, Wei Wang⁶, Hai-Bo Yang⁷

Affiliations

¹ Shanghai Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry and Chemical Processes, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200062, P. R. China.
² Spallation Neutron Source Science Center, Dongguan, 523803, P. R. China.
³ Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, 100049, P. R. China.
⁴ State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, Center for Advanced Low-dimension Materials, College of Material Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai, 201620, P. R. China.
⁵ Shanghai Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry and Chemical Processes, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200062, P. R. China. xqwang@chem.ecnu.edu.cn.
⁶ Shanghai Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry and Chemical Processes, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200062, P. R. China. wwang@chem.ecnu.edu.cn.
⁷ Shanghai Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry and Chemical Processes, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200062, P. R. China. hbyang@chem.ecnu.edu.cn.

Abstract

Aiming at the creation of polymers with attractive dynamic properties, herein, rotaxane-branched dendronized polymers (DPs) with rotaxane-branched dendrons attached onto the polymer chains are proposed. Starting from macromonomers with both rotaxane-branched dendrons and polymerization site, targeted rotaxane-branched DPs are successfully synthesized through ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP). Interestingly, due to the existence of multiple switchable [2]rotaxane branches within the attached dendrons, anion-induced reversible thickness modulation of the resultant rotaxane-branched DPs is achieved, which further lead to tunable thermal and rheological properties, making them attractive platform for the construction of smart polymeric materials.