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Synthesis of functional and architectural polyethers via the anionic ring-opening polymerization of epoxide monomers using a phosphazene base catalyst

Polymer Journal volume 53, pages 753–764 (2021)Cite this article

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Abstract

This focused review provides an overview of our recent work and related research regarding the precise anionic ring-opening polymerization (AROP) of substituted epoxides, including alkylene oxides, glycidyl ethers, and glycidyl amines, using t-Bu-P4 as the phosphazene base catalyst to produce functional polyethers, such as homopolymers, block copolymers (BCPs), and topologically unique polymers. First, the fundamental aspects and applicable monomer scope of t-Bu-P4-catalyzed AROP are discussed. Subsequently, the applications of well-defined polyethers prepared via t-Bu-P4-catalyzed AROP to develop functional materials, such as thermoresponsive polymers and Li+ conducting polymers, are discussed. Finally, the utility of t-Bu-P4-catalyzed AROP in the precise synthesis of star-shaped, cyclic, and multicyclic polymers is presented. Overall, we intend to illustrate the exploitable utility of the present polymerization system for fundamental and advanced polymer research.

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Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by the MEXT Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research (25620089, 16K14000, and 19K22209), JST CREST (JPMJCR19T4), and the Creative Research Institute (CRIS) of Hokkaido University. The author thanks Mr. Yoshinobu Mato (Graduate School of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, Hokkaido University) for kindly providing the schematic diagrams of the architectural BCPs.

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  1. Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan

    Takuya Isono

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Correspondence to Takuya Isono.

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Isono, T. Synthesis of functional and architectural polyethers via the anionic ring-opening polymerization of epoxide monomers using a phosphazene base catalyst. Polym J 53, 753–764 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41428-021-00481-3

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