Issue 24, 2014

Oximes as reversible links in polymer chemistry: dynamic macromolecular stars

Abstract

We demonstrate the formation of oxime-functional macromolecular stars that are able to dissociate and reconstruct themselves upon application of a stimulus. The reversible nature of the oxime bond in the presence of externally added alkoxyamines or carbonyl compounds enables reconfiguration via competitive exchange. Reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization was utilized to prepare well-defined amphiphilic block copolymers in which a hydrophobic keto-functional block allowed self-assembly into micelles in water. Adding a difunctional alkoxyamine small molecule to these solutions resulted in crosslinking of the micelles to yield macromolecular stars. The reversible nature of the O-alkyl oxime linkages was demonstrated via competitive exchange with excess of carbonyl compounds or monofunctional alkoxyamine under acidic conditions and at elevated temperatures to result in dissociation of the stars to unimolecular oxime-functional polymer chains.

Graphical abstract: Oximes as reversible links in polymer chemistry: dynamic macromolecular stars

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
18 Sep 2014
Accepted
24 Sep 2014
First published
09 Oct 2014

Polym. Chem., 2014,5, 6923-6931

Author version available

Oximes as reversible links in polymer chemistry: dynamic macromolecular stars

S. Mukherjee, A. P. Bapat, M. R. Hill and B. S. Sumerlin, Polym. Chem., 2014, 5, 6923 DOI: 10.1039/C4PY01282H

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements