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Updated: Jan 29, 2026

Depolymerizable Olefinic Polymers Based on Fused-Ring Cyclooctene Monomers
Published on: December 16, 2022
Modulating the Depolymerization of Self-Immolative Brush Polymers with Poly(benzyl ether) Backbones
Yue Xiao1, Hui Li1, Bohan Zhang1
1Institute of Chemical Biology and Nanomedicine, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, 410082, China.
Abstract:
We have synthesized a series of stimuli-responsive brush polymers by grafting azide-terminated side chains onto a self-immolative, alkyne-bearing poly(benzyl ether) backbone, which is prepared by anionic polymerization of quinone methide-based monomers. Upon exposure to a decapping reagent (Pd(0) or F-), these brush polymers undergo an irreversible degradation cascade from head to tail to yield individual side chains. It is observed that several factors affect the depolymerization kinetics, including solvent polarity, type of counterion, the rate of the decapping chemistry, and interestingly, the rigidity of the side chains.
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