Organocatalyzed polymerization of diblock copolymer based on poly(3-hexylthiophene) and poly(furfurylmethacrylate)

A novel conjugated rod-coil diblock copolymer poly(3-hexylthiophene)-block-poly(furfuryl block-poly(furfuryl methacrylate) (P3HT-b- b- PFMA) has been successfully synthesized for the first time using photoinduced organocatalyzed atom transfer radical polymerization (O-ATRP). This process utilized an organic photoredox catalyst of N-aryl phenoxazine, namely 10-(Perylene-3-yl-10H-Phenoxazine, under 365 nm UV irradiation. The diblock copolymer P3HT-b-PFMA b-PFMA was produced efficiently in a controlled manner, resulting in designed average molecular weights and a narrow polydispersity index. Notably, the furfurylmethacrylate (FMA) monomer derived from biomass-based furfuryl compounds was applied for this controlled polymerization, leading to the formation of conjugated diblock copolymers. The synthesized P3HT-b-PFMA b-PFMA was characterized through 1 H-NMR, FT-IR, and GPC methods. Furthermore, the optical and hydrophilic-hydrophobic properties of P3HT-b-PFMA b-PFMA were also evaluated through UV-Vis spectroscopy and contact angle measurements.