Epoxy-functionalised 4-vinylguaiacol for the synthesis of bio-based, degradable star polymers via a RAFT/ROCOP strategy

Abstract

An epoxy derivative of a naturally occuring vinylphenolic compound, 4-vinylguaiacol (4VGEP), was used for the synthesis of a well-defined (Mw/Mn = 1.08-1.14), bio-based styrene-type polymer. Block copolymers of 4VGEP with...

Biobased homopolymers and amphiphilic diblock copolymers containing guaiacyl (G) or hydroxyphenyl (H) lignin derivatives synthesized by RAFT (PISA)

“…Among aldehyde residues, the most well-known example is the versatile molecular vanillin platform [11][12][13][14] , which allows the formation of biobased polymers and networks through various chemical modifications. Other alternatives derived from cinnamic acid, ferulic acid, sinapic acid and caffeic acid have also been developed, allowing access to radically polymerizable monomers containing catechyl (C) [15][16][17] , guaiacyl (G) [18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27] , syringyl (S) 21,22,[28][29][30] and hydroxyphenyl (H) 21,22,31,32 units and their biobased polymer counterparts.…”

Main-chain/side-chain type phosphine oxide-containing reactive polymers derived from the same monomer: controllable RAFT polymerisation and ring-opening polycondensation

“…[1][2][3][4][5] Monomer design and post-polymerisation modification techniques are regarded as the two main routes to prepare reactive polymers, and recent advances in this field have undoubtedly provided great possibility for synthesizing reactive polymers with different purposes. [6][7][8][9][10][11][12] Among them, post-polymerisation modification, known as the polymer analogous reaction, is one of the most versatile and successful synthetic tools. However, conversions of the original groups to expected functionalities are interfered by the steric hindrance and probability effect, resulting in unmodified groups remaining along the main chains or side chains.…”

Degradable thioester core-crosslinked star-shaped polymers

“…[1][2][3][4][5][6] Hence, branched polymers have been used in many applications, including the biomedical field, catalysis, oils, and in paint adhesives. 1,[3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] Dendrimers are mono-disperse, well-defined and highly symmetrical hyperbranched structures which contain a high density of functional surface groups resulting in advanced properties including good solubility and low viscosities. 3 This makes the use of dendrimers advantageous in many applications including in drug delivery.…”

“…Star polymers are a class of branched polymers which consist of 3 or more arms connected by a single core. 4,8,12,14 Reversible deactivation radical polymerisation (RDRP) techniques, such as reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerisation, Cu(0)-mediated reversible-deactivation radical polymerisation (RDRP) and nitroxidemediated polymerisation (NMP), have been widely used to synthesise star polymers. 6,7,11,[14][15][16] The three main methodologies of synthesising stars are core-first approach, arm-first approach, and grafting onto approach.…”

“…17 For example, McGuire et al reported on the degradation of an ester-linked core-arm star polymer under acidic conditions at 100 °C. 8 Our research group recently exploited amide hydrolysis of star-shaped glycopolymers that can be catalysed between pH 4-8 at 37 °C. 9 In the search for ever milder conditions to degrade branched polymers, thioesters are an interesting platform to explore.…”