SYNTHESIS OF HETEROARM STAR POLYMERS COMPRISING POLY（4- METHYLPHENYL VINYL SULFOXIDE） SEGMENT BY LIVING ANIONIC POLYMERIZATION

A series of 3-arm ABC and AA＇B and 4-arm ABCD, AA＇BC and AA＇A＂B heteroarm star polymers comprising one poly（4-methylphenyl vinyl sulfoxide） segment and other segments such as polystyrene, poly（a-methylstyrene）, poly（4-methoxystyrene） and poly（4-trimethylsilylstyrene） were synthesized by living anionic polymerization based on diphenylethylene （DPE） chemistry. The DPE-functionalized polymers were synthesized by iterative methodology, and the objective star polymers were prepared by two distinct methodologies based on anionic polymerization using DPE-functionalized polymers. The first methodology involves an addition reaction of living anionic polymer with excess DPE-functionalized polymer and a subsequent living anionic polymerization of 4-methylphenyl vinyl sulfoxide （MePVSO） initiated from the in situ formed polymer anion with two or three polymer segments. The second methodology comprises an addition reaction of DPE-functionalized polymer with excess sec-BuLi and a following anionic polymerization of MePVSO initiated from the in situ formed polymer anion and 3-methyl-1,1-diphenylpentyl anion as well. Both approaches could afford the target heteroarm star polymers with predetermined molecular weight, narrow molecular weight distribution （Mw/Mn 〈 1.03） and desired composition, evidenced by SEC, 1H-NMR and SLS analyses. These polymers can be used as model polymers to investigate structure-property relationships in heteroarm star polymers.