Ferrocenyl dendronized polymers

Abstract

Styrenic dendrons functionalized with ferrocenyl and chloromethylsilyl termini were synthesized and polymerized by the AIBN-initiated radical polymerization procedure yielding a ferrocenyl dendronized polymer and a chloromethylsilyl dendronized polymer, respectively. The latter polymer was functionalized with ferrocenyl groups using “click” chemistry. The ferrocenyl dendronized polymers are soluble in common organic solvents such as tetrahydrofuran, dichloromethane, and chloroform. They show a reversible ferrocenyl wave in cyclic voltammetry (CV) and form derivatized Pt electrodes. Their sizes and shapes were examined by size exclusion chromatography (SEC), atomic force microscopy (AFM), dynamic light scattering (DLS) and DOSY ¹H NMR spectroscopy.