具有均匀可控网络结构的瓶刷聚合物凝胶的合成《ACS Macro Letters》

Synthesis of a Bottlebrush Polymer Gel with a Uniform and Controlled Network Structure

Shintaro Nakagawa* and Naoko Yoshie*

Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, Komaba 4-6-1, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8505, Japan

ACS Macro Lett. 2021, 10, 2, 186–191

Publication Date: January 12, 2021

https://doi.org/10.1021/acsmacrolett.0c00791

Abstract

A structurally controlled polymer gel was synthesized by end-linking a monodisperse star polymer in which each arm was a bottlebrush (BB) polymer densely grafted with side chains. The combination of atom transfer radical polymerization and postpolymerization modification yielded a four-arm star-shaped BB polymer with a controlled polymerization degree of the backbone and side chains. The reactive end groups introduced at the end of each arm reacted with small bifunctional linkers in solution, leading to the formation of a BB polymer gel. The elasticity study on the BB polymer gel suggested its uniform network structure. Our method enables precise and uniform tuning of essential structural parameters across the entire BB polymer network, which will be beneficial for developing soft materials with desired mechanical responses.

SUBJECTS:

• Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy,

• Polymer solutions,

• Polymers,

• Radical polymerization,

• Star polymers

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