Synthesis of Pure Supramolecular Polymers from Poly(substituted Phenylacetylene)s by Highly Selective Photocyclic Aromatization and Their Characterization: Effect of the Structures and Properties of Precursor Covalent Polymers on those of the Resulting Pure Supramolecular Polymers

Abstract

Several pure supramolecular polymers (SPs) were quantitatively synthesized by highly selective photocyclic aromatization (SCAT reaction) of poly(substituted phenylacetylene)s (CPs). The structures such as the degree of polymerization (DPn) and the one-handed helicities (chiralities) of the main chains of these precursor covalent polymers (CPs) were well-controlled by living or helix-sense-selective polymerizations. We found that the structures and properties of the resulting SPs were strongly influenced by those of the precursor CPs. In other words, some of the structures and properties of CPs were transferred to those of SPs. For example, the CPs with higher DPns yielded the corresponding SPs with higher DPns and strengths, and the CPs with one-handed helical chirality produced the corresponding SPs with enantioselective permeability in the membrane and supramolecular chirality in solution. In addition, since the shapes of solid materials from these CPs were transferred to the resulting SPs with some mechanical strength, they are promising for many practical applications such as membrane permeations.