Issue 40, 2020

Visible-light reversible photopolymerisation: insights via online photoflow – electrospray ionisation – mass spectrometry

Abstract

Light as a non-invasive and clean external stimulus provides a facile route towards macromolecular design. Herein, we demonstrate the scalable synthesis of catalyst-free, visible-light mediated photo-oligomers and -polymers via a step-growth mechanism. Both a batch approach and a continuous photoflow setup are employed to investigate the degree of polymerisation and scalability. Violet blue light at 415 nm triggers [2 + 2]-cycloadditions of a pyrene-chalcone derivative to grow linear step-growth polymers, while subsequent UV-B light irradiation triggers the depolymerisation. The process was monitored online via a photoflow – high resolution electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry setup (ESI-MS). Size exclusion chromatography provides additional offline analysis of both the polymerisation and photodegradation over time. By changing the colour of light, photopolymers can be recycled and reshaped, allowing these macromolecular precursors to be applied to reversible and photodegradable material design.

Graphical abstract: Visible-light reversible photopolymerisation: insights via online photoflow – electrospray ionisation – mass spectrometry

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Communication
Submitted
07 Aug 2020
Accepted
28 Sep 2020
First published
30 Sep 2020

Polym. Chem., 2020,11, 6435-6440

Visible-light reversible photopolymerisation: insights via online photoflow – electrospray ionisation – mass spectrometry

M. Van De Walle, C. Petit, J. P. Blinco and C. Barner-Kowollik, Polym. Chem., 2020, 11, 6435 DOI: 10.1039/D0PY01119C

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements