Facile Synthesis of Linear-Hyperbranched Polyphosphoesters via One-Pot Tandem ROMP and ADMET Polymerization and Their Transformation to Architecturally Defined Nanoparticles

A convenient one-pot synthesis of linear-hyperbranched polyphosphoesters (l-HBPPEs) was accomplished by a tandem ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) and acyclic diene metathesis (ADMET) polymerization procedure. A linear monotelechelic poly(norbornene) with a terminal acrylate and many pendent thiol groups is first prepared through adding an internal cis-olefin terminating agent to the reaction mixture immediately after the completion of the living ROMP, and then utilized as a macromolecular chain stopper in subsequent ADMET polymerization of a phosphoester functional AB(2) monomer, yielding l-HBPPEs as the reaction time prolonged. These l-HBPPEs bearing lots of pendent thiol groups in linear poly(norbornene) and peripheral acrylate groups in HBPPE could be self-crosslinked in ultradilute solution through thiol-Michael addition click reaction between acrylate and thiol to give single-molecule nanoparticles with comparatively uniform size. This facile approach can be extended toward the fabrication of novel nanomaterials with sophisticated structures and tunable multifunctionalities. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2015, 53, 964-972