Zwitterionic polymers are mainly known for their strong hydrophilicity and application in antifouling coatings. A relative lack of diversity in current applications may be attributed to limited structural variety, especially within their cationic moieties, which are typically ammonium-based. This work establishes a new class of polymer zwitterions, with phosphonium groups as cations. Ring-opening of a novel substituted sultone precursor with a variety of alkyl and aryl phosphines yields zwitterionic phosphonium sulfonate monomers that are amenable to controlled free radical polymerization. The resulting polymers display solubility in various organic solvents, uncharacteristic for conventional polymer zwitterions, and tunable properties depending on the choice of the phosphonium R-groups. Incorporation of these phosphonium sulfonate zwitterions into block copolymer architectures highlights their potency to modify material properties and amenability to self-assembly in solution.

A new class of zwitterionic materials: Phosphonium sulfonate monomers and polymers

ACS Fall 2021

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