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Related Concept Videos

Polymers02:34

Polymers

The word polymer is derived from the Greek words “poly” which means “many” and “mer” which means “parts”. Polymers are long chains of molecules composed of repeating units of smaller molecules, known as monomers. They either occur naturally, such as DNA and proteins, or can be constructed synthetically, like plastics. They have varied structural characteristics, such as linear chains, branched chains, or complex networks, that contribute to the properties that they exhibit. Additionally,...
Polymers02:34

Polymers

The word polymer is derived from the Greek words “poly” which means “many” and “mer” which means “parts”. Polymers are long chains of molecules composed of repeating units of smaller molecules, known as monomers. They either occur naturally, such as DNA and proteins, or can be constructed synthetically, like plastics. They have varied structural characteristics, such as linear chains, branched chains, or complex networks, that contribute to the properties that they exhibit. Additionally,...
Polymers02:34

Polymers

The word polymer is derived from the Greek words “poly” which means “many” and “mer” which means “parts”. Polymers are long chains of molecules composed of repeating units of smaller molecules, known as monomers. They either occur naturally, such as DNA and proteins, or can be constructed synthetically, like plastics. They have varied structural characteristics, such as linear chains, branched chains, or complex networks, that contribute to the properties that they exhibit. Additionally,...
Step-Growth Polymerization: Overview01:03

Step-Growth Polymerization: Overview

Step-growth or condensation polymerization is a stepwise reaction of bi or multifunctional monomers to form long-chain polymers. As all the monomers are reactive, most of the monomers are consumed at the early stages of the reaction to form small chains of reactive oligomers, which then combine to form long polymer chains in the late stages. Hence, the reaction has to proceed for a long time to achieve high molecular weight polymers.
Many natural and synthetic polymers are produced by...
Types of Step-Growth Polymers: Polyesters01:20

Types of Step-Growth Polymers: Polyesters

The introduction of polyesters has brought major development to the textile industry. The wrinkle-free behavior of polyester blends has eliminated the need for starching and ironing clothes.
Polyesters are commonly prepared from terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol; the crude product is known as poly(ethylene terephthalate) or PET. However, polyesters are synthesized industrially by transesterification of dimethyl terephthalate with ethylene glycol at 150 °C. The two reactants and the polymer...
Characteristics and Nomenclature of Copolymers01:24

Characteristics and Nomenclature of Copolymers

Copolymers are the products obtained from the polymerization of multiple monomer species. So, in a polymer chain itself, there can be multiple repeating units that come from different monomers. The process of synthesizing a polymer from different monomer species is called copolymerization. When two monomers are involved, the polymer is known as a bipolymer. Polymers with three and four monomers are termed terpolymers and quaterpolymers, respectively. Figure 1 depicts the copolymerization of...

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Synthesis of Cyclic Polymers and Characterization of Their Diffusive Motion in the Melt State at the Single Molecule Level
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Synthesis of Cyclic Polymers and Characterization of Their Diffusive Motion in the Melt State at the Single Molecule Level

Published on: September 26, 2016

Trefoil polymers from a knotted synthon.

Chenchen Du1, Zhi Chen2, Changqing Xu1

  • 1School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.

Nature Chemistry
|June 29, 2026
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers developed a new method to synthesize trefoiled polymers, which are closed-loop molecules with a specific knot structure. This breakthrough allows for precise control over polymer topology, opening doors to understanding how knots influence material properties.

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Area of Science:

  • Polymer Chemistry
  • Supramolecular Chemistry
  • Materials Science

Background:

  • Synthesizing polymers with controlled topology, particularly knots, is a significant challenge.
  • Theoretical studies suggest polymer topology profoundly impacts material properties and function.
  • Existing methods lack precise control over knot formation and placement.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop a high-yielding synthetic strategy for creating trefoiled (three-lobed) closed-loop polymers.
  • To enable direct examination of topology-property relationships by preparing linear, cyclic, and trefoiled polymer topoisomers.
  • To demonstrate the versatility of the synthetic approach across different polymer backbones.

Main Methods:

  • A topological synthon approach involving extension and macrocyclization of an overhand knot.
  • Preparation of linear, cyclic, and trefoiled topoisomers from identical building blocks.
  • Low-temperature ultrahigh-vacuum scanning tunneling microscopy (UHV-STM) for conformer analysis.
  • Coarse-grained Langevin dynamics simulations for modeling conformer stability.

Main Results:

  • Achieved high-yielding synthesis of closed-loop trefoiled polymers with narrow polydispersity.
  • Resolved three distinct conformers of trefoiled polystyrene (high-, medium-, and low-symmetry) using UHV-STM.
  • Simulations confirmed that bending energy and conformational entropy dictate conformer stability.
  • Demonstrated the approach's generality by synthesizing trefoiled poly(ethylene glycol) and block copolymers.

Conclusions:

  • The topological synthon approach provides precise control over polymer knot synthesis.
  • The method allows for the creation of polymers with tunable topological parameters.
  • Understanding polymer knot conformers is crucial for relating structure to function.
  • This strategy is applicable to various polymer types, advancing polymer topology research.