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The action of various external stimuli on telechelic poly(ethylene oxide) bearing iron(III) tetraphenylporphyrin chloride or iron(II) tetraphenylporphyrin derivatives at their ends has been investigated in organic and water media. Fully reversible chain end coupling processes were shown to take place yielding bis-iron(III) μ-oxo-tetraphenylporphyrin poly(ethylene oxide) under changes in acido-basic conditions, solvent nature, or the action of redox additives. At low concentration macrocyclic poly(ethylene oxide)s of same molar mass as the linear poly(ethylene oxide) precursors are almost exclusively formed via intramolecular coupling whereas increasing the poly(ethylene oxide) concentration yields both intra- and intermolecular chain coupling and formation of large macrocycles with [bis-iron(III) μ-oxo-tetraphenylporphyrin poly(ethylene oxide)] repeating units. The mechanisms involved are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PScomb-block-PEOcomb copolymers having a poly(chloroethyl vinyl ether)-b-poly(hydroxy ethyl vinyl ether) backbone with polystyrene chains on one side and poly(ethylene oxide) chains on the other, i.e. (PCEVE-g-PS)-b-(POHEVE-g-PEO), were synthesized. The strategy is based on grafting of polystyryllithium onto the reactive chloro functions of the poly(chloroethyl vinyl ether) first block and on grafting polyethylene oxide from the hydroxyl functions of the second block. This procedure allows the preparation of densely grafted amphiphilic diblocklike, Janus-type, comblike copolymers with high molar masses and narrow polydispersity.The characteristics and dimensions of isolated (PCEVE-g-PS)-b-(POHEVE-g-PEO) macromolecules were studied by light scattering in THF, a good solvent of both PS and PEO branches, as well as using AFM imaging of highly diluted deposits. Unimolecular rodlike nano-objects with distinct PS and PEO domains were observed, in agreement with their diblocklike structure. In relation with their amphiphilic nature, the combs can self-assemble in different morphologies. When graphite deposits are made from more concentrated methylene dichloride solutions, the PScomb-b-PEOcomb copolymers self-assemble directly on the substrate, forming flowerlike molecular aggregates interconnected by their PEO moieties. When deposits are made from a selective solvent (methanol) of the PEO comb block, hyperbranched micelles formed in the solution retain their structure on the solid substrate, yielding well-defined spherical objects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poly(styrene)comb-b-poly(isoprene)comb copolymers having a heterofunctional polyvinyl ether diblock backbone were synthesized by the grafting onto method. Their synthesis involves in a first step the selective coupling reaction of polystyryllithium chains onto the reactive chloroether functions of a poly(chloroethyl vinyl ether) first block while the second block poly(pyranethoxy vinyl ether) remains unchanged, yielding Poly(styrene)comb with a poly(pyranethoxy vinyl ether) tail. In a second step, living polyisoprenyllithium chains are grafted onto the second block previously modified to introduce reactive chlorobutyl functions. The obtained high molar masses PScomb-b-PIcomb copolymers exhibit a low polydispersity and a controlled number of branches. Their characteristics and behavior were further studied as isolated objects using imaging technique such as atomic force microscopy and using light scattering in a good solvent for PS and PI moieties, and in a selective solvent of PIcomb blocks. The PScomb-b-PIcomb copolymers adopt a cylindrical conformation in good solvent and self-assemble in micelles by association of the combPS blocks in heptane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]