Cellulose Concurrently Induces Predominantly One-Handed Helicity in Helical Polymers and Controls the Shape of Optically Active Particles Thereof

Abstract

Alkynylated carboxymethylcellulose (A-CMC) was used to construct optically active helical polymer microparticles (spherical and spindle-like) through suspension polymerization of achiral acetylic monomer. Taking advantage of the “sergeant and soldiers rule”, the chirality of A-CMC effectively transferred to the resulting helical polymers, thus inducing the latter to form predominantly one-handed screw sense and endowing the microparticles with optical activity. Simply adjusting the stirring speed in suspension polymerizations provided spherical and spindle-like microparticles. The microparticles were assembled by small spheres, under the guidance of oriented A-CMC macromolecular chains depending on stirring rate. The spherical and spindle microparticles demonstrated different enantio-differentiating release process due to their varied shape. A-CMC concurrently plays three roles in the present study: as stabilizing agent and chiral source for fabricating chiral helical polymer particles and as template for...