Chiral Supramolecular Multiblock Copolymerization Accompanying Chirality Transfer in Heterostructures via Living...

Area of Science:

• Polymer Chemistry
• Supramolecular Chemistry
• Chiral Materials

Background:

• Chiral supramolecular polymers offer unique properties but their synthesis with controlled chirality remains challenging.
• Tetraphenylethylene (TPE) derivatives are promising building blocks for supramolecular assemblies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a method for synthesizing chiral supramolecular triblock and pentablock copolymers (BCPs) with controllable chirality.
• To investigate the role of kinetic control in supramolecular polymerization of TPE derivatives.

Main Methods:

• Kinetically adjusted seeded supramolecular copolymerization in a THF/DMSO solvent mixture.
• Utilizing chiral TPE derivatives with alanine side chains and achiral TPE-G with glycine moieties.
• Employing a seeded living growth method to control block patterns and chirality transfer.

Main Results:

• Successfully synthesized chiral supramolecular tri- and penta-BCPs with defined B-A-B, A-B-A-B-A, and C-B-A-B-C block patterns.
• Demonstrated controllable chirality transfer from chiral seeds to the growing polymer chains.
• Identified that achiral TPE-G alone did not form supramolecular polymers due to kinetic barriers, but could be copolymerized under specific conditions.

Conclusions:

• Kinetically controlled seeded supramolecular copolymerization is an effective strategy for generating chiral BCPs with precise block arrangements.
• Chirality can be effectively transferred during the seeded living polymerization process.
• The method allows for the creation of complex chiral supramolecular architectures with potential applications in advanced materials.