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Updated: Sep 22, 2025

Anionic Polymerization of an Amphiphilic Copolymer for Preparation of Block Copolymer Micelles Stabilized by π-π Stacking Interactions
Published on: October 10, 2016
Expanding the Cationic Polycarbonate Platform: Attachment of Sulfonium Moieties by Postpolymerization Ring Opening of
Nathaniel H Park1, Mareva Fevre1, Zhi Xiang Voo1,2
1IBM Almaden Research Center, 650 Harry Road, San Jose, California 95120, United States.
Abstract:
Postpolymerization modification is a critical strategy for the development of functional polycarbonate scaffolds for medicinal applications. To expand the scope of available postpolymerization functionalization methods, polycarbonates containing pendant thioether groups were synthesized by organocatalyzed ring-opening polymerization. The thioether group allowed for the postpolymerization ring-opening of functional epoxides, affording a wide variety of sulfonium-functionalized A-B diblock and A-B-A triblock polycarbonate copolymers. The pendant thioether groups were found to be compatible with previously developed postsynthesis functionalization methods allowing for selective and orthogonal modifications of the polycarbonates.
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