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Synthesis of thermoresponsive polymer gels with crosslinked domains containing iridium complexes for ammonia sensing and N-alkylation catalysis

Polymer Journal volume 55, pages 945–955 (2023)Cite this article

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Abstract

Incorporating organometallic complexes into nanodomains in polymer networks would broaden the scopes of gel material design and applicability. In this study, we designed polymer gels containing an iridium complex in the crosslinked domain (CD) of their compartmentalized nanodomain structures and demonstrated their molecular sensing ability and catalytic activity levels. Novel Ir-containing vinyl monomers were first synthesized and then incorporated into a thermoresponsive CD structure by reversible addition–fragmentation chain-transfer polymerization using a hydrophilic bifunctional macro-chain transfer agent with N-isopropylacrylamide and a crosslinker. A model reaction and structural analysis revealed that the product gel exhibited a homogeneously dispersed CD structure containing an Ir complex. The Ir-containing gel immediately changed color by sensing ammonia in a thermoresponsive manner and catalyzed the N-alkylation reaction.

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Acknowledgements

This work was partially supported by JST SPRING (Grant Number: JPMJSP2110) and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science through a grant-in-aid for scientific research (C) (No. 19K05602) and (B) (No. 22H02075), for which the authors are grateful. The SAXS experiments at the Photon Factory were performed under the approval of the Photon Factory Program Advisory Committee (Proposal No. 2021G570).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, Yoshida, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan

    Shohichi Furukawa, Takuya Shimbayashi & Ken-ichi Fujita

  2. Department of Materials Chemistry, Faculty of Engineering, The University of Shiga Prefecture, 2500 Hassaka, Hikone, Shiga, 522-8533, Japan

    Takahiro Okuno, Hiroki Takeshita & Shohei Ida

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  1. Shohichi Furukawa
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Correspondence to Shohei Ida.

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Furukawa, S., Okuno, T., Shimbayashi, T. et al. Synthesis of thermoresponsive polymer gels with crosslinked domains containing iridium complexes for ammonia sensing and N-alkylation catalysis. Polym J 55, 945–955 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41428-023-00801-9

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