Fabricating covalently attached hyperbranched polymers by combining photochemistry with supramolecular polymerization

Abstract

The aim of this study was to develop a new method of fabricating covalently attached hyperbranched polymers by a combination of supramolecular polymerization and photochemistry. To achieve this, cucurbit[8]uril is used to bind with three-arm photosensitive monomers to form supramolecular hyperbranched polymers by host–guest interactions. Moreover, supramolecular hyperbranched polymers can be converted into covalently attached hyperbranched polymers by UV irradiation. Interestingly, the supramolecular hyperbranched polymers emit orange light, while the covalently attached hyperbranched polymers emit blue light. Therefore, this strategy may be used to construct supramolecular materials with tailored architecture and functions.