1. Department of Chemistry, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204
Electropolymerizable Dendrons in Reversible Addition Fragmentation Chain-Transfer (RAFT) Polymerizations: Electrochemical Behavior and Macromolecular Assemblies
Rigoberto C. Advincula,
Department of Chemistry, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204
This Project involves the exploration of various electropolymerizable linear-dendron macromolecular architectures for controlled surface modification and phase separation with electrografting. We have recently described a series of well-defined dendritic-linear block copolymer architectures via the reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization technique. Using dendritic chain transfer agents (CTA)s possessing a single dithioester moiety at the focal point, RAFT polymerization was carried out to attach polystyrene (PS) and polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) chains of controlled lengths by kinetic control. To provide electrochemical functionality, the dendritic CTAs were designed with carbazole moieties at the periphery of the structures. The results on the electrochemical polymerization of the carbazole moieties at the periphery of the dendritic component of the block copolymers reveal quantitative cyclic depositions with changes in viscoelastic properties of the deposited films as monitored by the electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (E-QCM) technique. The electro-active dendritic blocks proved to be an effective electrochemically active macromonomer for the electrodeposition of these structures on conducting substrates.