| Login |
| Description: | Special Joint Seminar from the Department of Chemistry and the Department of Materials Science and Technology of the University of Crete "Shinning a light to copper mediated living radical polymerization: Maximizing end-group fidelity" Dr. Athina Anastasaki Hawker Research Group California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI), University of California, Santa Barbara, Thursday 21/07/2016, 12:00 Chemistry Department Seminar Room The ability to regulate the activation and deactivation steps via an external stimulus has always been a challenge in polymer chemistry. In an ideal photo-mediated system, whereby high monomer conversion and excellent end group fidelity can be maintained, precise control over the polymer composition and microstructure would be a significant breakthrough. Herein, we report, a versatile, simple and inexpensive method that allows for the synthesis of sequence-controlled multiblock copolymers in a one pot polymerization reaction at ambient temperature. In the absence of a conventional photoredox catalyst and dye-sensitisers, low concentrations of CuBr2 in synergy with Me6-Tren mediate acrylic block copolymerization under UV irradiation (λmax ≈ 360 nm). Four different acrylate monomers were alternated in various combinations within the polymer composition illustrating the potential of the technique. Narrow disperse undecablock copolymers were obtained (Đ < 1.2) with quantitative conversion achieved between the iterative monomer additions. The effect of the chain length was investigated allowing for higher molecular weight multiblock copolymers to be obtained. This approach offers a versatile and inexpensive platform for the preparation of high-order multiblock functional materials with additional applications arising from the precise spatiotemporal “on/off” control and resolution when desired. |
| Location: | Chemistry Department Seminar Room |
| Status: | Waiting for approval |
| Date: | Thursday, July 21, 2016 |
| Time: | 12:00 EEST |
| Priority: | 5-Medium |
| Access: | Public |
| Created by: | Lila Kalogeraki |
| Updated: | Tuesday, July 19, 2016 07:32 GMT |