Fluorescence Spectra of Model Compounds for Light-emitting Alternating Copolymers in Heterogeneous Environments

In this paper, the fluorescence spectra of model compounds of light-emitting alternating copolymers. M (TPA-PPV) and M (TPA-PAV) (Scheme 1) were studied and the effect of KNO3 on the interaction between model compounds and ionic micelle-watts interface was also investigated. It is found that (I) The fluorescence changes of M (TPA-PPV) are related to the state of CTAB and SDS solution. (II)Aggregated state can be formed in M (TPA-PAV) solution at low concentration of CTAB. (III) Higher concentration of KNO3 may affect the interaction between model compounds and ionic micelle-water interface.

Enantioselective Alternating Copolymerization of Propylene with Carbon Monoxide Using Cationic Palladium-Chiral Diphosphine Catalyst

Enantioselective alternating copolymerization of carbon monoxide with propylene was carried out using palladium catalyst modified by 1,4-3,6-dianhydro-2,5-dideoxy-2,5-bis (diphenylphosphino)-L-iditol (DDPPI). The chiral diphosphine was proved to be effective at enantioselective copolymerization. Optical rotation, elemental analysis, H-1, C-13-NMR and IR spectra showed that the copolymer was optically active, isotactic, alternating poly(1,4-ketone) structure.

Synthesis and Photophysical Properties of Fluorene or Carbazole-Based Alternating Copolymers Containing Si and Ethynylene Units in the Main Chain

Alternating copolymerization of 9,9-dihexyl-2,7-dibromofluorene, N-hexyl-2,7-dibromocarbazole (HCz) with diethynyldimethylsilane, diethynyldiphenylsilane, has been investigated using Sonogashira coupling reaction. Photophysical properties of the resulting copolymers were investigated with UV-Vis absorption and photoluminescence spectroscopy. All the copolymers in chloro-form solution showed absorption peaks at 270 - 280 nm with shoulder peaks at around 380 nm derived from π-π* transition or intra-molecular charge transfer through σ-π moiety, respectively. The chloroform solutions of the copolymers showed broad emission peaks at 415 - 425 nm. The emission wave lengths of the copolymers in the solid state (cast film) detected at 360 - 385 nm were remarkably blue-shifted in comparison with those in the chloroform solutions. Hydrosilylation reaction of the copolymers with 1,4-bis(dimethylsilyl)benzene yielded networked copolymers soluble in chloroform, indicating formation of branching polymers. The chloroform solutions of the HCz-based networked copolymers showed bimodal emission derived from new highly energy states in the σ-π conjugation.

Facile Synthesis of Polyisothioureas via Alternating Copolymerization of Aziridines and Isothiocayanates

Isothiourea is an important class of sulfur-containing molecules showing unique catalytic and biological activities. As such,polyisothiourea is envisioned to be an interesting type of polymer that potentially exhibits a number of interesting properties. However, there is no access to synthesizing well-defined polyisothiourea, and currently isothiourea-containing polymers are mainly prepared by immobilizing onto other polymer's side chain. Herein, we report the first facile synthesis of polyisothioureas via alternating copolymerization of aziridines and isothiocayanates. Mediated by the catalytic system of phosphazene superbases/alcohol, a broad scope of aziridines and isothiocayanates could be transformed into polyisothioureas with adjustable substitutions(11 examples). The structures of obtained polyisothioureas were fully characterized with ^(1)H-NMR, ^(13)C-NMR, and ^(1)H-^(13)C HMBC NMR. Moreover, the polyisothioureas show tunable thermal properties depending on substitutions on the isothiourea linkages. The novel structure of these polyisothioureas will enable a powerful platform for the discovery of nextgeneration functional plastics.

Conventional Radical and RAFT Alternating Copolymerizations of Hydroxyalkyl Vinyl Ethers and Dialkyl Maleates

The alternating copolymerization of hydroxyalkyl vinyl ethers and dialkyl maleates is investigated by conventional radical polymerization and reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerization(RAFT).The influence of comonomer structure,comonomer feeding ratios,and monomer concentrations on the copolymerization and the copolymer structure have been investigated systematically.With 2-hydroxyethyl vinyl ether(HEVE)and dimethyl maleates(DMM)as comonomers,a well-defined alternating copolymer is prepared with M_(n)=3400 and M_(w)/M_(n)=1.93 up to 71.6% monomer.The alternating sequential chain structure of the copolymers has been proved by both NMR and matrixassisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry(MALDI-TOF MS).The experimental reactivity ratios and theoretical calculated highest occupied molecular orbital and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital of vinyl ethers and alkyl maleates support that these monomer pairs have tendency to form alternating copolymers.With 2-cyanopropan-2-yl N-methyl-N-(pyridin-4-yl)carbamodithioate as the RAFT agent,the molecular weight of HEVE and DMM copolymer increases with the monomer conversion,demonstrating a controlled radical polymerization feature with well-controlled molecular weight and relatively narrower molecular weight distribution.With alternating copolymer of HEVE and DMM as macro-CTA(M_(n)=5200 and M_(w)/M_(n)=1.46),both the chain extension with HEVE and DMM(M_(n)=10400 and M_(w)/M_(n)=1.72)and block copolymerization with vinyl acetate have been successfully achieved(M_(n)=8500 and M_(w)/M_(n)=1.52).

Synthesis,Self-assembly and Electrode Application of Mussel-inspired Alternating Copolymers

We reported the first mussel-inspired alternating copolymer with a high amount of catechol groups （50% molar ratio） through a facile epoxy-amino click reaction between 9,9-bis（4-（2-glycidyloxyethyl）phenyl fluorene （BGEPF） and dopamine （DA）. The obtained copolymers were used to prepare carbon/nitrogen-doped α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles through self-assembly, coordination and calcination, which displayed excellent electrochemical performance as anode materials for Li-ion batteries.

CONTROLLED RADICAL COPOLYMERIZATION OF STYRENE AND MALEIC ANHYDRIDE UNDER GAMMA RADIATION IN THE PRESENCE OF BENZYL DITHIOBENZOATE

The copolymerization of styrene (St) with maleic anhydride (MAh) under gamma radiation at room temperature in the presence of benzyl dithiobenzoate (BDTB) was found to display 'living' nature evidenced by constant concentration of chain radicals during the copolymerization, linear evolution of molecular weights with conversion and narrow molecular weight distribution (M-w/M-n = 1.23-1.35). The compositional analysis and the sequence structural information of the copolymers obtained from DEPT (Distortionless Enhancement by Polarization Transfer) experiments demonstrate that the copolymers obtained also possess strictly alternating structure.

Synthesis of novel biodegradable poly(ethylene glycol) analogue:Water-soluble aliphatic polyester with pendant oligo(ethylene glycol) chains

A novel poly（ethylene glycol） （PEG） analogue composed of aliphatic polyester backbone and pendant oligo（ethylene glycol） short chains is reported. The PEG analogue is a copolymer synthesized by ring-opening alternating copolymerization of succinic anhydride with 2-（（2-（2-metho xyethoxy）ethoxy）methyl）oxirane. The structure of the copolymer was confirmed by ^1H NMR spectrum. The effects of the monomer feed ratio on the copolymerization were studied and the polymerization mechanism was given. The PEG analogue disclosed is water-soluble and expected to have promising applications in biomedical fields as a substitute of PEG due to the existence of degradable ester bond in the backbone.

Substituent Effects on Direct Arylation Polycondensation and Optical Properties of Alternating Fluorene-Thiophene Copolymers

Four thiophene derivatives were prepared by replacing the 3,4 positions of thiophene by―OCH3, ―CH3―COOCH3 and ―CN, respectively. The polycondensations via direct arylation took place between the four thiophene derivatives and 2,7-dibromo-9,9-dioctylfluorene under six various catalytic conditions to investigate the substituent effects. The substituent can affect the electron cloud density of the active C―H bond, which can be monitored by the NMR chemical shift. The experimental results show that the reactivity decreases with increasing the chemical shift of active C―H bonds in the four thiophene derivatives, and thus can promote the direct arylation polycondensation. This phenomenon is explained by the electrophilic aromatic substitution（SEAr） mechanism. UV-Visible absorption and photoluminescence were studied to investigate the substituent effect on optical properties of the four copolymers. The results show that these alternating fluorene-thiophene copolymers with different substituents are good fluorescent materials and promising in PLED applications.

Yttrium-catalyzed cis-1,4-Selective Polymerization of 2-(4-Halophenyl)-1,3-butadienes and Their Copolymerization with Isoprene

Polymerization of 2-(4-halophenyl)-1,3-butadiene(2-XPB) and their copolymerization with isoprene using a yttrium catalyst have been examined. The β-diketiminato yttrium bis(alkyl) complex(1) activated by [Ph_3 C][B(C_(6) F_(5))_(4)] and Ali Bu3 shows high cis-1,4-selectivity(>98%) for the polymerization of 2-XPB(2-XPB = 2-FPB, 2-Cl PB and 2-Br PB) to afford halogenated plastic poly(dienes) with glass transition temperatures of30–55 ℃. Moreover, the copolymerization of 2-XPB with isoprene(IP) has also been achieved by this catalyst, and the insertion ratios of 2-XPB can be facilely tuned in a full range of 0%–100% simply by changing the 2-XPB-to-IP ratio. Quantitative hydrogenation of cis-1,4-poly(2-XPB) results in perfect alternating ethylene-halostyrene copolymers, and an alternating copolymer of 4-vinylbenzoic acid with ethylene is obtained by a consecutive reaction of ethylene-4-bromostyrene copolymer with ^(n)Bu Li, CO_(2) and HCl.

Preparation of Chemically Recyclable Poly(ether-alt-ester) by the Ring Opening Polymerization of Cyclic Monomers Synthesized by Coupling Glycolide and Epoxides

Polyester and polyether are two key oxygenated polymers, and completely alternative sequence of poly(ester-alt-ether) could efficiently combine the advantages(including flexibility, degradability, etc.) of both segments. Currently, despite their copolymers could be synthesized from one-pot mixture of cyclic esters and epoxides, perfectly alternative microstructure is very challenging to realize and typically restricted to certain monomer pairs. Moving forward, synthesizing poly(ester-alt-ether) from commercially available and largescale monomers would be a significant advance. For example, successfully commercialized poly(glycolic acid)(PGA), which is not easily soluble in polymers due to its high crystallinity and is brittle and difficult to control the degradation cycle, would encounter a new paradigm if engineered into poly(ester-altether). In this work, starting from the design of monomer with hybrid structures, we successfully synthesized a series of 1,4-dioxan-2-one containing different substituents based on glycolide(GA) and epoxides using commercially available Salen-Cr(III) and PPNCl catalytic systems.The new monomers underwent ring-opening polymerization(ROP) to form a series of poly(ester-alt-ether) with perfectly alternating glycolic acid and propylene glycol repeat units under catalytic system of thiourea/base. The poly(ester-alt-ether) have significantly lower glass-transition temperature than PGA. Additionally, the poly(ester-alt-ether) can be chemically recovered to monomer using Sn(Oct)2 or 1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undecane-7-ene(DBU) as a catalyst in solution, thus establishing a closed-loop life cycle. From monomers derived from GA and epoxides, this work furnishes a novel strategy for the synthesis of poly(ester-alt-ether) with chemical recyclability.

^(68)Ga-labeled amphiphilic polymer nanoparticles for PET imaging of sentinel lymph node metastasis

Precise diagnosis of lymph node metastasis is important for therapeutic regimen planning,prognosis analysis and probably better outcomes for cancer patients.In this work,^(68)Ga-labeled amphiphilic alternating copolymers nanoparticles with different rigid ligands were synthesized as positron emission tomography(PET)probes for lymph node metastasis imaging.The labeling efficiency and stability of nanoparticles was improved with increased rigidity of coordination unit.PU(^(68)Ga-L-MDI-PEG)nanoparticles(PU(^(68)Ga-L-MDI-PEG)NPs)with the strongest rigidity of coordination unit exhibited the lowest critical micelle concentration,the best^(68)Ga labeling efficiency and stability.During in vivo lymph node metastasis imaging,PU(^(68)Ga-L-MDI-PEG)NPs led to different accumulations in normal lymph nodes(N-LN)and tumor metastasized sentinel lymph nodes(T-SLN),which resulted in different PET signal presentation,making it feasible to differentiate N-LN from T-SLN.In comparison,small molecule probe^(68)GaL had poor lymph node accumulation,not only making it difficult to find lymph nodes on PET/computed tomography scan,but also tough to distinguish N-LN from metastatic ones.Overall,this work provides a reference for design of^(68)Ga labeled polymeric nanoparticles with high chelation efficiency and stability,as sensitive PET probes for lymph node imaging.

H_(2)O_(2)-responsive polymer prodrug nanoparticles with glutathione scavenger for enhanced chemo-photodynamic synergistic cancer therapy

The combination of chemotherapy and photodynamic therapy(PDT)based on nanoparticles(NPs)has been extensively developed to improve the therapeutic effect and decrease the systemic toxicity of current treatments.However,overexpressed glutathione(GSH)in tumor cells efficiently scavenges singlet oxygens(^(1)O_(2))generated from photosensitizers and results in the unsatisfactory efficacy of PDT.To address this obstacle,here we design H_(2)O_(2)-responsive polymer prodrug NPs with GSH-scavenger(Ce6@P(EG-a-CPBE)NPs)for chemo-photodynamic synergistic cancer therapy.They are constructed by the co-self-assembly of photosensitizer chlorin e6(Ce6)and amphiphilic polymer prodrug P(EG-a-CPBE),which is synthesized from a hydrophilic alternating copolymer P(EG-a-PD)by conjugating hydrophobic anticancer drug chlorambucil(CB)via an H_(2)O_(2)-cleavable linker 4-(hydroxymethyl)phenylboronic acid(PBA).Ce6@P(EG-a-CPBE)NPs can efficiently prevent premature drug leakage in blood circulation because of the high stability of the PBA linker under the physiological environment and facilitate the delivery of Ce6 and CB to the tumor site after intravenous injection.Upon internalization of Ce6@P(EG-a-CPBE)NPs by tumor cells,PBA is cleaved rapidly triggered by endogenous H_(2)O_(2)to release CB and Ce6.Ce6 can effectively generate abundant^(1)O_(2)under 660 nm light irradiation to synergistically kill cancer cells with CB.Concurrently,PBA can be transformed into a GSH-scavenger(quinine methide,QM)under intracellular H_(2)O_(2)and prevent the depletion of^(1)O_(2),which induces the cooperatively strong oxidative stress and enhanced cancer cell apoptosis.Collectively,such H_(2)O_(2)-responsive polymer prodrug NPs loaded with photosensitizer provide a feasible approach to enhance chemo-photodynamic synergistic cancer treatment.

Monte Carlo Simulation on Layered Polymeric Films

Thin films of polymer blends composed of alternating copolymer, diblock copolymer and/or homopolymer are studied using Monte Carlo simulation. A multilayer morphology is observed in the film, that is, the blended polymers assemble into individual domains arranged from interior to the surfaces of the film. The coexisting components residing throughout the neighboring domains in the film make no distinguishable interface between any neighboring domains. By this means, it forms a vertical composition gradient in the polymeric film. Being different from layer-by-layer deposition of polyelectrolyte or hydrogen bonding approach etc., the layered structure in this study is formed by polymer blending in one step. Alternating copolymers are found to be essential components to form vertical composition gradient （layered structure） in thin films.

Novel degradable polymer networks containing acetal components

A novel copolymer network with acetal structure was prepared using bis[4-(vinyloxy)butyl](4-methyl-1,3-phenylene)biscarbamate(BECT)as the crosslinking agent.Firstly,a tri-copolymer of maleic anhydride(MAn),n-butyl vinyl ether(BVE)and 4-hydroxybutyl vinyl ether(HBVE)was synthesized via free-radical polymerization with 2,2′-azobisisobutyronitrile as the initiator.The tri-copolymer consisted of two sorts of alternating units,MAn-alt-BVE and MAn-alt-HBVE.The linear copolymer Poly((MAn-alt-BVE)-co-(MAn-alt-HBVE))with pending hydroxyl groups was then combined with BECT in the presence of pyridinium p-toluenesulfonate,generating a copolymer network comprising acetal components in the crosslinking segment. This polymer network exhibited degradation in acid conditions.