1
|
Murphy E, Zhang C, Bates CM, Hawker CJ. Chromatographic Separation: A Versatile Strategy to Prepare Discrete and Well-Defined Polymer Libraries. Acc Chem Res 2024; 57:1202-1213. [PMID: 38530881 PMCID: PMC11025024 DOI: 10.1021/acs.accounts.4c00059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2024] [Revised: 03/06/2024] [Accepted: 03/08/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024]
Abstract
ConspectusThe preparation of discrete and well-defined polymers is an emerging strategy for emulating the remarkable precision achieved by macromolecular synthesis in nature. Although modern controlled polymerization techniques have unlocked access to a cornucopia of materials spanning a broad range of monomers, molecular weights, and architectures, the word "controlled" is not to be confused with "perfect". Indeed, even the highest-fidelity polymerization techniques─yielding molar mass dispersities in the vicinity of Đ = 1.05─unavoidably create a considerable degree of structural and/or compositional dispersity due to the statistical nature of chain growth. Such dispersity impacts many of the properties that researchers seek to control in the design of soft materials.The development of strategies to minimize or entirely eliminate dispersity and access molecularly precise polymers therefore remains a key contemporary challenge. While significant advances have been made in the realm of iterative synthetic methods that construct oligomers with an exact molecular weight, head-to-tail connectivity, and even stereochemistry via small-molecule organic chemistry, as the word "iterative" suggests, these techniques involve manually propagating monomers one reaction at a time, often with intervening protection and deprotection steps. As a result, these strategies are time-consuming, difficult to scale, and remain limited to lower molecular weights. The focus of this Account is on an alternative strategy that is more accessible to the general scientific community because of its simplicity, versatility, and affordability: chromatography. Researchers unfamiliar with the intricacies of synthesis may recall being exposed to chromatography in an undergraduate chemistry lab. This operationally simple, yet remarkably powerful, technique is most commonly encountered in the purification of small molecules through their selective (differential) adsorption to a column packed with a low-cost stationary phase, usually silica. Because the requisite equipment is readily available and the actual separation takes little time (on the order of 1 h), chromatography is used extensively in small-molecule chemistry throughout industry and academia alike. It is, therefore, perhaps surprising that similar types of chromatography are not more widely leveraged in the field of polymer science as well.Here, we discuss recent advances in using chromatography to control the structure and properties of polymeric materials. Emphasis is placed on the utility of an adsorption-based mechanism that separates polymers based on polarity and composition at tractable (gram) scales for materials science, in contrast to size exclusion, which is extremely common but typically analyzes very small quantities of a sample (∼1 mg) and is limited to separating by molar mass. Key concepts that are highlighted include (1) the separation of low-molecular-weight homopolymers into discrete oligomers (Đ = 1.0) with precise chain lengths and (2) the efficient fractionation of block copolymers into high-quality and widely varied libraries for accelerating materials discovery. In summary, the authors hope to convey the exciting possibilities in polymer science afforded by chromatography as a scalable, versatile, and even automated technique that unlocks new avenues of exploration into well-defined materials for a diverse assortment of researchers with different training and expertise.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth
A. Murphy
- Materials
Research Laboratory, Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Department of Chemical
Engineering, andMaterials Department, University of California
Santa Barbara, Santa
Barbara, California 93106, United States
| | - Cheng Zhang
- Materials
Research Laboratory, Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Department of Chemical
Engineering, andMaterials Department, University of California
Santa Barbara, Santa
Barbara, California 93106, United States
- Australian
Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology and Centre for Advanced
Imaging University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Christopher M. Bates
- Materials
Research Laboratory, Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Department of Chemical
Engineering, andMaterials Department, University of California
Santa Barbara, Santa
Barbara, California 93106, United States
| | - Craig J. Hawker
- Materials
Research Laboratory, Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Department of Chemical
Engineering, andMaterials Department, University of California
Santa Barbara, Santa
Barbara, California 93106, United States
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Murphy EA, Chen YQ, Albanese K, Blankenship JR, Abdilla A, Bates MW, Zhang C, Bates CM, Hawker CJ. Efficient Creation and Morphological Analysis of ABC Triblock Terpolymer Libraries. Macromolecules 2022. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.2c01480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth A. Murphy
- Materials Research Laboratory, University of California, Santa Barbara, California93106, United States
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Barbara, California93106, United States
| | - Yan-Qiao Chen
- Materials Research Laboratory, University of California, Santa Barbara, California93106, United States
| | - Kaitlin Albanese
- Materials Research Laboratory, University of California, Santa Barbara, California93106, United States
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Barbara, California93106, United States
| | - Jacob R. Blankenship
- Materials Research Laboratory, University of California, Santa Barbara, California93106, United States
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Barbara, California93106, United States
| | - Allison Abdilla
- Materials Research Laboratory, University of California, Santa Barbara, California93106, United States
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Barbara, California93106, United States
| | - Morgan W. Bates
- Materials Research Laboratory, University of California, Santa Barbara, California93106, United States
| | - Cheng Zhang
- Materials Research Laboratory, University of California, Santa Barbara, California93106, United States
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland4072, Australia
| | - Christopher M. Bates
- Materials Research Laboratory, University of California, Santa Barbara, California93106, United States
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Barbara, California93106, United States
- Department of Chemical Engineering, and University of California, Santa Barbara, California93106, United States
- Materials Department, University of California, Santa Barbara, California93106, United States
| | - Craig J. Hawker
- Materials Research Laboratory, University of California, Santa Barbara, California93106, United States
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Barbara, California93106, United States
- Materials Department, University of California, Santa Barbara, California93106, United States
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Voorter P, McKay A, Dai J, Paravagna O, Cameron NR, Junkers T. Solvent‐Independent Molecular Weight Determination of Polymers Based on a Truly Universal Calibration. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.202114536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Pieter‐Jan Voorter
- Polymer Reaction Design Group School of Chemistry Monash University 19 Rainforest Walk, Building 23 Clayton VIC 3800 Australia
| | - Alasdair McKay
- Polymer Reaction Design Group School of Chemistry Monash University 19 Rainforest Walk, Building 23 Clayton VIC 3800 Australia
| | - Jinhuo Dai
- Dulux Australia 1956 Dandenong Road Clayton VIC 3168 Australia
| | - Olga Paravagna
- Dulux Australia 1956 Dandenong Road Clayton VIC 3168 Australia
| | - Neil R. Cameron
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering Monash University 22 Alliance Lane Clayton Victoria, 3800 Australia
- School of Engineering University of Warwick. Coventry CV4 7AL UK
| | - Tanja Junkers
- Polymer Reaction Design Group School of Chemistry Monash University 19 Rainforest Walk, Building 23 Clayton VIC 3800 Australia
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Voorter PJ, McKay A, Dai J, Paravagna O, Cameron NR, Junkers T. Solvent-Independent Molecular Weight Determination of Polymers Based on a Truly Universal Calibration. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2021; 61:e202114536. [PMID: 34861091 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202114536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2021] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Diffusion-ordered NMR spectroscopy (DOSY) allows for accurate molecular weight calibration and determination that can be corrected for solvent influences. Polystyrene and poly(ethylene glycol) standards have been used to calibrate DOSY diffusion data for a variety of solvents, showing a high correlation of data when the bulk viscosity of the solvent is accounted for following the Stokes-Einstein equation. In this way, a type of universal calibration is introduced that allows for determinations of average molecular weight that are at least as accurate as those of traditional size-exclusion chromatography (SEC), if not better. Further, we demonstrate that DOSY calibrations can be used between laboratories, hence removing the need for individual calibration of setups as currently done.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pieter-Jan Voorter
- Polymer Reaction Design Group, School of Chemistry, Monash University, 19 Rainforest Walk, Building 23, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia
| | - Alasdair McKay
- Polymer Reaction Design Group, School of Chemistry, Monash University, 19 Rainforest Walk, Building 23, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia
| | - Jinhuo Dai
- Dulux Australia, 1956 Dandenong Road, Clayton, VIC 3168, Australia
| | - Olga Paravagna
- Dulux Australia, 1956 Dandenong Road, Clayton, VIC 3168, Australia
| | - Neil R Cameron
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Monash University, 22 Alliance Lane, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia.,School of Engineering, University of Warwick., Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK
| | - Tanja Junkers
- Polymer Reaction Design Group, School of Chemistry, Monash University, 19 Rainforest Walk, Building 23, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Precise Control of Both Dispersity and Molecular Weight Distribution Shape by Polymer Blending. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.202106729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
|
6
|
Whitfield R, Truong NP, Anastasaki A. Precise Control of Both Dispersity and Molecular Weight Distribution Shape by Polymer Blending. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2021; 60:19383-19388. [PMID: 34133078 PMCID: PMC8456836 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202106729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
The breadth and the shape of molecular weight distributions can significantly influence fundamental polymer properties that are critical for various applications. However, current approaches require the extensive synthesis of multiple polymers, are limited in dispersity precision and are typically incapable of simultaneously controlling both the dispersity and the shape of molecular weight distributions. Here we report a simplified approach, whereby on mixing two polymers (one of high Đ and one of low Đ), any intermediate dispersity value can be obtained (e.g. from 1.08 to 1.84). Unrivalled precision is achieved, with dispersity values obtained to even the nearest 0.01 (e.g. 1.37→1.38→1.39→1.40→1.41→1.42→1.43→1.44→1.45), while maintaining fairly monomodal molecular weight distributions. This approach was also employed to control the shape of molecular weight distributions and to obtain diblock copolymers with high dispersity accuracy. The straightforward nature of our methodology alongside its compatibility with a wide range of polymerisation protocols (e.g. ATRP, RAFT), significantly expands the toolbox of tailored polymeric materials and makes them accessible to all researchers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Richard Whitfield
- Laboratory of Polymeric MaterialsDepartment of MaterialsETH ZurichVladimir-Prelog-Weg 58093ZurichSwitzerland
| | - Nghia P. Truong
- Laboratory of Polymeric MaterialsDepartment of MaterialsETH ZurichVladimir-Prelog-Weg 58093ZurichSwitzerland
| | - Athina Anastasaki
- Laboratory of Polymeric MaterialsDepartment of MaterialsETH ZurichVladimir-Prelog-Weg 58093ZurichSwitzerland
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Quantitatively unravel the effect of chain length heterogeneity on polymer crystallization using discrete oligo l-lactide. POLYMER 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.polymer.2021.123746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
|
8
|
Affiliation(s)
- Tanja Junkers
- Polymer Reaction Design Group School of Chemistry Monash University 19 Rainforest Walk Clayton VIC 3800 Australia
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Junkers T, Vrijsen JH. Designing molecular weight distributions of arbitrary shape with selectable average molecular weight and dispersity. Eur Polym J 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2020.109834] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
|
10
|
McKeown GR, Ye S, Cheng S, Seferos DS. Homogenous Synthesis of Monodisperse High Oligomers of 3-Hexylthiophene by Temperature Cycling. J Am Chem Soc 2019; 141:17053-17056. [PMID: 31638385 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.9b08240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Whereas monodisperse polymers are ubiquitous in Nature, they remain elusive to synthetic chemists. Absolute control over polymer length and structure is essential to imparting chemical functionality, reproducible properties, and specific solid-state behavior. Precise polymer length has proven to be extremely difficult to control. The most successful examples are generally similar to solid-phase oligo nucleotide or peptide synthesis, wherein the polymer is built up one unit at a time with each sequential monomer addition requiring purification and deprotection (or other functional group activation) step. We have discovered a stepwise homogeneous catalyst-transfer polymerization to prepare monodisperse oligo(3-hexylthiophene) using temperature to limit additions to one unit per chain per cycle. This is the first reported example of a one-pot synthesis of monodisperse oligomers that requires no additional purification or intermediate steps. It is our hope that the strategy of temperature cycling to "freeze" intermediates will be generalizable to other living polymerization techniques, such as other catalyst-transfer polymerization systems, and those where a resting state involves an association between the catalyst and growing chain.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- George R McKeown
- Department of Chemistry , University of Toronto , 80 St. George Street , Toronto , Ontario M5S 3H6 , Canada
| | - Shuyang Ye
- Department of Chemistry , University of Toronto , 80 St. George Street , Toronto , Ontario M5S 3H6 , Canada
| | - Susan Cheng
- Department of Chemistry , University of Toronto , 80 St. George Street , Toronto , Ontario M5S 3H6 , Canada
| | - Dwight S Seferos
- Department of Chemistry , University of Toronto , 80 St. George Street , Toronto , Ontario M5S 3H6 , Canada.,Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry , University of Toronto , 200 College Street , Toronto , Ontario M5S 3E5 , Canada
| |
Collapse
|