Codendronized Polymers:  Wormlike Molecular Objects with a Segmented Structure

Herein, we report a series of novel codendronized polymers with an alternating segmented structure prepared by direct radical copolymerization of maleimide pendent with polyester dendron and styrene pendent with Percec-type polyether dendron. These dendronized polymers bearing different dendrons with rather high molar masses as determined by GPC with light scattering detectors were obtained under mild conditions. These novel polymers have been also characterized by 1H NMR, 13C NMR spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM), and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). All of the codendronized polymers were confirmed to hold an alternating structure; therefore, they have a segmented structure. The SAXS results indicate that these polymers pack hexagonally in bulk, and the materials with self-organized structures-in-structures have been thus obtained whose properties can be tuned by dendron generation. Through further modification of one pendent dendron, amphiphilic codendronized polymers were produced. These dendronized polymers with a segmented structure of different polarity may have a potential to segregate lengthwise, and, therefore, many fascinating properties related to self-assembly are expected.