Controlled thiol–ene post-polymerization reactions on polyferrocenylsilane homopolymers and block copolymers

Abstract

Various thiols were reacted with poly(ferrocenylmethylvinylsilane) (PFMVS) homopolymers using the radical-mediated thiol–ene reaction with a view to preparing metallopolymers with diverse functional groups. Post-polymerization thiol–ene reactions on poly(ferrocenyldimethylsilane)-b-poly(ferrocenylmethylvinylsilane) (PFDMS-b-PFMVS) diblock copolymers with dodecanethiol and octadecanethiol afforded diblocks with a long hexane-soluble block and a short crystalline, hexane-insoluble PFDMS block. The thiol–ene reactions provided sufficient control to allow access to diblocks that were partially substituted, thus leaving vinyl groups that might subsequently be used for further post-polymerization reactions.