One-Pot Structure-Controlled Synthesis of Hyperbranched Polymers by a “Latent” Inimer Strategy Based on Diels–Alder Chemistry

An efficient “one-pot” strategy for the structure-controlled synthesis of hyperbranched polymers (HBPs) based on a “latent” inimer (LI-Br), containing a furan-protected maleimide monomer and a haloalkane initiator, is presented. At high temperatures, the “latent” inimer is converted to a “real” inimer after releasing maleimide (MI) via a retro-Diels–Alder (r-DA) reaction and then copolymerized with methyl methacrylate by self-condensing vinyl copolymerization. Due to the dynamic characteristic of the r-DA reaction, the release of naked MI and the subsequent copolymerization can be regulated by the temperature or stereochemistry of Diels–Alder (DA) adducts. Thus, the “one-pot” structure-controlled synthesis of HBPs with various degrees of branching was achieved. By further implementation of a programmable temperature change, some valuable hyperbranched topologies such as star-shaped and long-chain hyperbranched polymers can be constructed avoiding sophisticated synthetic routes.