Poly(oxanorbornenedicarboximide)s dendronized with amphiphilic poly(alkyl ether) dendrons

Attaching dendritically branched side chains to each repeat unit of a linear polymer produces molecular building blocks of nanometer-sized dimensions called dendronized polymers. The structure of these complex molecular architectures is highly tunable and, therefore, of interest for a wide range of potential applications. The first examples of dendronized polymers prepared by living ring-opening metathesis polymerization of oxanorbornenedicarboximide macromonomers with poly(alkyl ether) dendrons are reported. Small-angle X-ray scattering experiments on bulk samples confirm that the diameter of the individual cylindrical polymers can be tailored by the choice of dendron generation or the length of the hydrocarbon peripheral group. Analysis of the SAXS data based on a core-shell model indicates that although the diameter of the cylinder increases with generation, the size of the core does not change; this suggests that these dendrons only loosely encapsulate the polymer backbone.