Stepwise Construction of Supramolecular A2B4-type Miktoarm Star Copolymers with a Cobalt Phthalocyanine Core

Xinhao Zhong; Hsu-Tzu Cheng; Chu-Chen Chueh; Masayuki Takeuchi; Junko Aimi

doi:10.1002/chem.202403749

Stepwise Construction of Supramolecular A2B4-type Miktoarm Star Copolymers with a Cobalt Phthalocyanine Core

Chemistry. 2024 Nov 19:e202403749. doi: 10.1002/chem.202403749. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Xinhao Zhong¹, Hsu-Tzu Cheng², Chu-Chen Chueh³, Masayuki Takeuchi⁴, Junko Aimi⁵

Affiliations

¹ National Institute for Materials Science: Busshitsu Zairyo Kenkyu Kiko, Research Center for Macromolecules and Biomaterials, 1-2-1 Sengen, 3050047, Tsukuba, JAPAN.
² National Taiwan University, Department of Chemical Engineering, No.1, Sec. 4 Roosevelt Rd, 10617, Taipei, TAIWAN.
³ National Taiwan University, Department of Chemical Engineering, No.1, Sec. 4 Roosevelt Rd., 10617, Taipei, TAIWAN.
⁴ National Institute for Materials Science: Busshitsu Zairyo Kenkyu Kiko, Research Center for Macromolecules and Biomaterials, 1-2-1 Sengen, 305-0047, Tsukuba, JAPAN.
⁵ National Institute for Materials Science, 1-2-1, Sengen,, Tsukuba, JAPAN.

PMID: 39562178
DOI: 10.1002/chem.202403749

Abstract

Supramolecular interaction between polymers has been utilized for constructing three-dimensional polymer structures with unique physical and chemical properties. In this study, we demonstrated a novel supramolecular miktoarm star-shaped copolymer with a cobalt(II) phthalocyanine (CoPc) core using metal-ligand coordination. Axial coordination of the terminal pyridyl group of poly(methyl methacrylate) to the CoPc core of 4-armed star-shaped polystyrene provided AB4- and A2B4-type µ-stars by stepwise complexation. The spin-coated polymer films from the mixed solutions of CoPcPS4 and pyPMMA in a 1:1 or 1:2 mass ratio showed phase-separated nanodomains with smooth surfaces. Superamolecular interactions in polymer systems provide a unique topology for polymers and affect their bulk morphology.

Keywords: miktoarm star copolymer * cobalt phthalocyanine * supramolecular polymers * polymer blend.