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Scalable preparation and direct visualization of cyclic polymers via self-folding cyclization technique

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Abstract

Cyclic polymers exhibit distinct properties compared with their linear counterparts due to the lack of chain ends. However, the scalable synthesis of cyclic polymers remains a major challenge, especially for ring-closure method. Herein, we report a novel strategy for large-scale preparation of cyclic polymers, which relies on the prior self-folding of anthracene-telechelic amphiphilic random copolymers (poly((oligo(ethylene glycol) acrylate)-co-(dodecyl acrylate)), P(OEGA-co-DDA)) into single-chain polymeric nanoparticles (SCPNs) in water. Subsequent ultraviolet (UV)-induced cyclization occurs in the hydrophobic nano-domain. The formation of SCPNs leads to a shortened distance between the end groups of the linear precursors and spatially separated cyclization loci, and significantly enhances the efficiency of UV-induced cyclization. This self-folding technique permits access to the synthesis of cyclic polymers not only with high molecular weights (Mn > 105 g/mol), but also in a decent scale (40 g/L), breaking through the limitations of ring-closure method. Furthermore, the dense pendants of the copolymers can magnify the macromolecules by increasing the mass density along the backbones, thus making the polymers more readily detectable by the microscopy. The transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) images allow us to observe the topological structures directly and provide crucial evidence to confirm the cyclization.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (22201276, 22131010, 52021002) and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (WK2060000012). The authors thank Prof. B.B. Jiang and Mr. Y.Z. Du. from Changzhou University for their assistance with GPC characterization.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CAS Key Laboratory of Soft Matter Chemistry, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China

    Hualong Zhang, Hao Zha, Chao Liu & Chunyan Hong

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  1. Hualong Zhang
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  2. Hao Zha
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  3. Chao Liu
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  4. Chunyan Hong
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Correspondence to Chao Liu or Chunyan Hong.

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Supporting information The supporting information is available online at http://chem.scichina.com and http://link.springer.com/journal/11426. The supporting materials are published as submitted, without typesetting or editing. The responsibility for scientific accuracy and content remains entirely with the authors.

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Zhang, H., Zha, H., Liu, C. et al. Scalable preparation and direct visualization of cyclic polymers via self-folding cyclization technique. Sci. China Chem. 65, 2558–2566 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11426-022-1344-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11426-022-1344-3

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