Microwave-assisted rapid one-step synthesis of poly(2-oxazoline)-based block copolymers using a dual initiator for CROP and RAFT polymerization

Abstract

As the first example of the facile and rapid one-step synthesis of block copolymers, a range of poly (2-oxazoline) (POx)-based block copolymers were synthesized in a one-step procedure under microwave irradiation in a significantly shortened period of time using 4-cyano-4-(dodecylthiocarbonothioylthio)pentyl-4-methylbenzenesulfonate (CDPS) as a dual initiator for living cationic ring-opening polymerization (CROP) and reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. 2-Methyl- and 2-ethyl-2-oxazoline were polymerized for the POx block via CROP, and methyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate, N,N-dimethylacrylamide, N,N-diethylacrylamide, N-isopropylacrylamide, and 4-acryloylmorpholine were polymerized for the other block via RAFT polymerization. The CROP and RAFT polymerization proceeded independently in a controlled manner.