Synthesis of a cyclic poly(methyl acrylate) via topological transformation of a [1]rotaxane

Abstract

Even today, obtaining a cyclic polymer in pure form remains difficult. This paper discloses a synthetic protocol for a vinyl polymer-type cyclic polymer in pure form. A linear macromolecular [1]rotaxane containing a poly(methyl acrylate) (PMA, M_n,NMR 3200) axle and a crown ether wheel was synthesized via the terminal modification of PMA with a semi[2]rotaxane unit and subsequent linking of the wheel and axle components. The positional change of the wheel from the initial to opposite end on the PMA axle comprised the preparation of pure cyclic PMA via an efficient linear-to-cyclic polymer topological transformation.