Metal containing polymers are materials of high interest because they combine the unique properties of organic polymer scaffolds with the magnetic or redox properties of metallic materials.[1] Incorporation of ferrocene groups into a polymer material introduces an efficient electron-transfer relay system, which can be hardly realized with a fully organic material. However, the synthesis of such compounds still presents challenges, if narrow molecular weight distributions, complete functionalization and high stability of the resulting products are targeted.We present an approach for the synthesis of block copolymer architectures containing poly(vinylferrocene) (PVFc) via an epoxide termination strategy.[2] PVFc can be synthesized via living carbanionic polymerization, and quantitative functionalization is possible using epoxides as termination reagents. The resulting hydroxyl-functionalized macroinitiators are suitable for several subsequent polymerization methods. We were able to synthesize AB block copolymers and AB2 miktoarm star polymers containing PVFc (A) and either poly(lactide) (PLA) (via catalytic ring opening polymerization) or poly(ethylene glycol) PEG (via oxyanionic ring opening polymerization) as a second block (B). A series of polymers with molecular weights in the range of 8,000 to 42,000 g mol-1 and narrow size distributions (PDI = 1.21 � 1.36) were obtained.[3] Additionally, we studied the self assembly behavior of the obtained polymers in solution with transmission electron microscopy (TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurements and their redox activity via cyclovoltammetry (CV).

Redox-responsive block copolymers: Epoxide termination strategy for the synthesis of poly(vinylferrocene) containing polymer architectures

248th National Meeting (2014)

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