TY - JOUR
T1 - Catalyst switch strategy enabled a single polymer with five different crystalline phases
AU - Zhang, Pengfei
AU - Ladelta, Viko
AU - Abou-hamad, Edy
AU - Müller, Alejandro J.
AU - Hadjichristidis, Nikos
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023, The Author(s).
PY - 2023/12
Y1 - 2023/12
N2 - Well-defined multicrystalline multiblock polymers are essential model polymers for advancing crystallization physics, phase separation, self-assembly, and improving the mechanical properties of materials. However, due to different chain properties and incompatible synthetic methodologies, multicrystalline multiblock polymers with more than two crystallites are rarely reported. Herein, by combining polyhomologation, ring-opening polymerization, and catalyst switch strategy, we synthesized a pentacrystalline pentablock quintopolymer, polyethylene-b-poly(ethylene oxide)-b-poly(ε-caprolactone)-b-poly(L-lactide)-b-polyglycolide (PE-b-PEO-b-PCL-b-PLLA-b-PGA). The fluoroalcohol-assisted catalyst switch enables the successful incorporation of a high melting point polyglycolide block into the complex multiblock structure. Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and differential scanning calorimetry revealed the existence of five different crystalline phases.
AB - Well-defined multicrystalline multiblock polymers are essential model polymers for advancing crystallization physics, phase separation, self-assembly, and improving the mechanical properties of materials. However, due to different chain properties and incompatible synthetic methodologies, multicrystalline multiblock polymers with more than two crystallites are rarely reported. Herein, by combining polyhomologation, ring-opening polymerization, and catalyst switch strategy, we synthesized a pentacrystalline pentablock quintopolymer, polyethylene-b-poly(ethylene oxide)-b-poly(ε-caprolactone)-b-poly(L-lactide)-b-polyglycolide (PE-b-PEO-b-PCL-b-PLLA-b-PGA). The fluoroalcohol-assisted catalyst switch enables the successful incorporation of a high melting point polyglycolide block into the complex multiblock structure. Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and differential scanning calorimetry revealed the existence of five different crystalline phases.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85177469627&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1038/s41467-023-42955-3
DO - 10.1038/s41467-023-42955-3
M3 - Article
C2 - 37985766
AN - SCOPUS:85177469627
SN - 2041-1723
VL - 14
JO - Nature Communications
JF - Nature Communications
IS - 1
M1 - 7559
ER -