Dendronized copolymers functionalized with crown ethers and their reversible modification through host-guest interaction

Tunable Supramolecular Hexagonal Columnar Structures of Hydrogen-Bonded Copolymers Containing Two Different Sized Dendritic Side Chains

Polymer structures with tunable symmetry and sizes are desired for applications such as lithography, filtration membranes, and separation. Here we report the self-assembled supramolecular hexagonal columnar (Φ_H) structures with tunable lattice size varying from 5 to 7 nm by constructing hydrogen-bonded copolymers bearing poly(4-vinylpyridine) (P4VP) and two dendritic molecular additives, 1-[4'-(3″,4″,5″-tridecyloxybenzoyloxy)phenyleneoxycarbonyl]-3-[(4″-hydroxyphenyl)oxycarbonyl]benzene (12CBP) and 4-hydroxyphenyl (3,4,5-tridecyloxy)benzoate (12CTB). Despite the distinct molecular size difference between 12CBP and 12CTB, the resulting ternary supramolecular copolymers, P4VP(12CBP)_x(12CTB)_y, possess a homogeneous Φ_H phase at x ≥ 0.1 and y ≥ 0.2. Each column is constructed with P4VP as the backbone tethered with mixed side chains. The column diameter is between the size of the corresponding P4VP(12CBP)_x+y and P4VP(12CTB)_x+y and could be easily tuned by varying x and y. The enhancement of Φ_H in supramolecular copolymers is attributed to the entropy effect of the mixed side chain and enthalpy effect from hydrogen bonding interaction of the P4VP backbone and two molecules (12CBP and 12CTB).

Cucurbit[8]uril-Based Water-Soluble Supramolecular Dendronized Polymer: Evidence from Single Polymer Chain Morphology and Force Spectroscopy

A novel water-soluble supramolecular dendronized polymer (SDP) was prepared through cucurbit[8]uril (CB[8])-naphthalene host-guest interaction. The composition ratio between BDP and CB[8] of as-prepared luminescent supramolecular polymer was confirmed by ¹H NMR technique and mass spectrometry. In addition, atomic force microscopy (AFM) images showing the polymer chain length up to 150 nm and height up to 1.75 nm unambiguously demonstrate the supramolecular polymer formation. This work might be useful for designing other main chain supramolecular dendronized polymers.

Dendronized supramolecular polymers

Supramolecular polymers from dendritic motifs combine the dynamic nature of supramolecular construction and inherent features from covalent dendronized polymers.

Solvent induced phenomena in a dendronized linear polymer

The properties of a dendronized linear polymer (DP) in dilute solutions depending on solvent quality and temperature are described. The polymer has a contour length of Lc = 1,060 nm. The sample of the fourth generation (PG4) was analyzed in the thermodynamically good solvents dioxane, chloroform, and methanol. The wormlike macromolecule has a persistence length lp = 7 nm in dioxane and a cross-section radius determined by small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) of Rc (SAXS) = 2.8 nm. The bulk density of PG4 determined by SAXS was compared with solution density. Evidence for substantial swelling of the cross-section was found. Toluene acts as a thermodynamically poor solvent (θ solvent). Above the θ temperature Tθ , a strong temperature dependence of the size and the Young's modulus E was observed. Following Odijk, E/kBT ∼1 was found. Below Tθ , a regime characterized by unswelling of the wormlike chains was observed. The results suggest that DPs can be described as soft colloid filaments, which are subject to commonly observed interactions in colloidal systems. A phase diagram indicates a regime below Tθ in which fluctuations of osmotic pressure inside the filaments result in periodic undulation of the chains. In summary, introducing a dense dendritic shell around the backbone converts conventional polymers into molecular colloids. Figureᅟ