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Facile synthesis of dendrimer-like star-branched poly(isopropylacrylamide) via combination of click chemistry and atom transfer radical polymerization

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  • Special Topic / Highly Branched Polymers — Promising Architectural Macromolecules
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Abstract

We report a facile synthesis method of dendrimer-like star-branched poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) via the combination of click chemistry and atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) by employing the arm-first approach. First, the α-azido-ω-chloro-heterodifunctionalized building block, N 3-PNIPAM-Cl (G0-Cl), was synthesized via ATRP by 3-azidopropyl 2-chloropropionate as the initiator. Taking advantage of click chemistry, the first generation (G1) of dendrimer-like star-branched PNIPAM, G1-(Cl)3, was facilely prepared via the click coupling reaction between G0-Cl and tripropargylamine. For the construction of second generation (G2) dendrimer-like star-branched PNIPAM, G2-(Cl)6, terminal chloride moieties of G1-(Cl)3 were first converted to azide, and then reacted with excess tripropargylamine to give G1-(alkynyl)6; G2-(Cl)6 was subsequently prepared via click reaction between G1-(alkynyl)6 and G0-Cl. Gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry were employed to confirm the successful construction of dendrimer-like star-branched polymers. The unique thermal phase transition behavior of this dendrimer-like star-branched polymer in aqueous solutions was further investigated by turbidimetry and micro-differential scanning calorimetry (Micro-DSC).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CAS Key Laboratory of Soft Matter Chemistry; Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China

    XueJuan Wan, Jian Xu & ShiYong Liu

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  1. XueJuan Wan
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  2. Jian Xu
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  3. ShiYong Liu
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Correspondence to ShiYong Liu.

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Wan, X., Xu, J. & Liu, S. Facile synthesis of dendrimer-like star-branched poly(isopropylacrylamide) via combination of click chemistry and atom transfer radical polymerization. Sci. China Chem. 53, 2520–2527 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11426-010-4135-4

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