DESIGN OF SMART COMB MACROMOLECULES BY COMBINATION OF LIVING ANIONIC AND CATIONIC POLYMERIZATIONS

The preparation and characteristics of a series of comb (co)polymers with different chain architectures and/or topologies are described. These structures are based on the preparation of poly(chloroethyl vinyl ether) (PCEVE) as a reactive backbone, which is used for grafting living anionic chains, typically polystyryllithium or polyisoprenyllithium. Since these different building blocks are synthesized by living ionic polymerizations, a precise control of the dimensions of both the branches and the backbone can be achieved, whereas the selectivity of the branch coupling reaction permits an almost quantitative substitution of the chloride groups of the PCEVE chain. This approach allows to precisely tune the dimensions and structure of the corresponding macromolecules and comb architectures displaying very different shapes. Linear, star-like, cylindrical, ring-like, have been prepared and characterized by different techniques including AFM imaging.