Controlling the Chiral Molecular Space Using Helical Polymers

Abstract

Controlling the chiral molecular space using helical polymers has attracted much attention in the context of developing advanced chiral functional materials. So far, various helical polymers have been developed in order to investigate the screw-sense induction in helical backbones. In general, helical polymers can be classified based on their helix inversion barriers into static and dynamic helical polymers; however, this classification does not consider the chemical structure of the helical polymers, and consequently, there are several examples of static and dynamic helical polymers that exhibit the same polymer backbone. Poly(quinoxaline-2,3-diyl)s (PQXs) are particularly promising candidates to control the chiral molecular space, as their static and/or dynamic behavior can be controlled via the substituents. Furthermore, PQXs with chiral side chains exhibit a solvent-dependent helix inversion that can be used to establish control over the chiral molecular space via external stimuli. In this chapter, we describe recent progress concerning PQXs that exhibit a solvent-dependent helix inversion and their applications in the development of advanced chiral functional materials.