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Updated: May 23, 2026

Controlled Photoredox Ring-Opening Polymerization of O-Carboxyanhydrides Mediated by Ni/Zn Complexes
Published on: November 21, 2017
Highly efficient ring-opening reaction of azlactone-based copolymer platforms for the design of functionalized
Aurélie Laquièvre1, Naomi S Allaway, Joël Lyskawa
1Université Lille Nord de France, 59000 Lille, France, USTL, Unité des Matériaux Et Transformations (UMET, UMR 8207), Ingénierie des Systèmes polymères Team, 59655 Villeneuve d'Ascq Cedex, France.
Abstract:
Azlactone-based homopolymers and copolymers were successfully synthesized using the reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) process. The functional monomer 2-styryl-4,4-dimethylazlactone (SDA) was first homopolymerized in bulk then copolymerized with styrene, leading to (co)polymers with low polydispersity indices (PDI = 1.10-1.20). The reactive azlactone rings, located along the backbone of the copolymers were subjected to highly efficient ring-opening reactions with functionalized primary amine derivatives incorporating a fluorescent (naphthalene) or an electrochemical (ferrocene) probes, a biological fragment (glutathione), a sugar unit (β-cyclodextrin), or an oligomeric fluorinated moiety, leading to materials with various interesting properties.
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