Applying New Synthetic Methodologies to Versatile Polymerizations

Prof. Tae-Lim Choi

Department of Materials, ETH, Zurich

11. Dezember 2025, 16:00 Uhr

TU Wien -  GM 2 Radinger Hörsaal

https://maps.tuwien.ac.at/?q=BD01B33

About:

Making new polymers via new methods are always challenging as there are various hurdles that one would face. However, once new methods are developed, one can get properties that are not easily predicted or achieved before. Here, we will present three new methods to make new polymers. These would demonstrate how lessons from organic chemistry can expand the realm of polymerizations and open up new applications.

The first example is multi-component polymerization via Click-like three component coupling reaction catalysed by Cu. Various polyamidines and polyamidates were prepared from three monomers containing alkynes, electron-deficient azides and amines or alcohols. Due to itsversatility, diversity-oriented polymerisation producing well-defined polymers with high molecular weight is now possible.

The second concept is cascade olefin metathesis polymerisation using Grubbs catalysts. Rather than simple polymerization, we demonstrated cascade polymerization using metathesis and metallotropic shift (M&M polymerization) to give various well-defined polymers via highly chemo- and regio-selective transformations. Furthermore, living polymerization is also possible to produce various block copolymers. With these polymerizations in hand, we extended our studies to prepare novel nanostructures. We will demonstrate that M&M polymerization givesconjugated polymers that readily undergo self-assembly to semiconducting 2D nanoparticles.

Lastly, we are going to present our recent discovery of direct C–H amidationpolymerization (DCAP) to give fluorescent polysulfonamides. Fluorescent polymers have received much interest because of intrinsic merits; processing of films, controllable optical properties, and flexibility. We realized that these resulting polysulfonamides emitted blue-light via excited-state intramolecular proton-transfer (ESIPT) and color-tuning was also possible via side-chain engineering. This led us to the synthesis of polymer emitting white-light.

References:

[1] Kang, C., Park, H., Lee, J.-K., Choi, T.-L.* J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2017, 139, 11309

[2] Kang, C., Kwon, S., Sung, J.-C., Kim, J. Baik, M.-H., Choi, T.-L.* J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2018, 140, 1632

[3] Yun, N., Kang, C., Yang, S., Hwang, S.-H, Park, J.-M. Choi, T.-L.* J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2023, 145, 9029

[4] Jang, Y.-J.; Hwang, S.-H.; Choi. T.-L. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2017, 56, 14474.

[5] Hwang, S.-H.; Kim, H..; Ryu, H.; Serdiuk, I. E.; Lee, D.; Choi. T.-L. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2022, 144, 1778.

[6] Lee, I-H., Kim, H.-S., Choi, T.-L., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2013, 135, 3760;

[7] Kim, H., Bang K.-T., Choi, I., Lee, J.-K., Choi, T.-L. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2016, 138, 8612

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