Preparation of functional polymers

Abstract

The process of the present invention is directed toward conducting highly selective, high yield post polymerization reactions on polymers to prepare functionalized polymers. An embodiment of the present invention comprises conducting click chemistry reactions on polymers. Preferably, the polymers were prepared by controlled polymerization processes. Therefore, embodiments of the present invention comprise processes for the preparation of polymers comprising conducting a click chemistry reaction on a functional group attached to a polymer, wherein the polymer has a molecular weight distribution of less than 2.0. The functional polymers may be prepared by converting an attached functional unit on the polymer thereby providing site specific functional materials, site specific functional materials comprising additional functionality, or chain extended functional materials. Embodiments of the process of the present invention include functionalization reactions, chain extensions reactions, to form block copolymer linking reactions, and attaching side chains to form graft copolymers, for example.

1 .- 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A process for the preparation of polymers, comprising: conducting a click chemistry reaction on a functional group attached to a functional polymer, wherein the polymer has a molecular weight distribution of less than 2.0. 
     
     
         22 . The process of  claim 21 , further comprising: reacting a terminal group on a first polymer with a compound to form the functional polymer comprising groups capable of reacting in the click chemistry reaction; and wherein conducting a click chemistry reaction results in chain extending the functional polymers to form a higher molecular weight polymer. 
     
     
         23 . The process of  claim 22 , wherein the click chemistry reaction results in the formation of linear polymers with distributed functionality. 
     
     
         24 . The process of  claim 23 , wherein the distributed functionality comprises a degradable functionality. 
     
     
         25 . The process of  claim 23 , wherein the linear polymer is a block copolymer comprising two or more segments of different composition. 
     
     
         26 . The process of  claim 22 , wherein the click chemistry reaction results in the formation of graft copolymer. 
     
     
         27 . The process of  claim 22 , wherein the click chemistry reaction results in the formation of a graft copolymer tethered to a polymer, particle or a substrate. 
     
     
         28 . The process of  claim 22 , further comprising preparing the first polymer by a controlled radical polymerization process. 
     
     
         29 . The process of  claim 22 , wherein terminal groups comprise an acetylene bond or an azido-group. 
     
     
         30 . The process of  claim 22 , wherein the functional group attached to the functional polymer is a nitrile group and conducting a click chemistry reaction on a nitrile group results in formation of an azole functionality. 
     
     
         31 . The process of  claim 21 , wherein the functional group attached to the functional polymer is one of an azido group, acetylenic amino group, and phosphino group. 
     
     
         32 . The process of  claim 21 , wherein the click chemistry reaction comprises a dipolar cycloaddition reaction with triple bonded functional groups. 
     
     
         33 . The process of  claim 32 , wherein the triple bonded functional groups comprise alkynes and nitrites and result in the formation of substituted triazoles or tetrazoles. 
     
     
         34 . The process of  claim 21 , wherein conducting the click chemistry reaction results in the addition of a functional group selected from amino, primary amino, hydroxyl, sulfonate, benzotriazole, bromide, chloride, chloroformate, trimethylsilane, phosphonium bromide or bio-responsive functional group including polypeptides, proteins and nucleic acids to the polymer. 
     
     
         35 . The process of  claim 21 , further comprising: reacting a terminal group on the first polymer with a compound to form a polymer comprising groups capable of reacting in a click chemistry reaction, wherein the polymer has a molecular weight distribution of less than 2.0; and conducting a click chemistry reaction resulting in a ring closing reaction to form a macrocyclic polymer. 
     
     
         36 . The process of  claim 21 , wherein the attached functional groups are telechelic functionality, site specific functionality, functionality dispersed along a polymer backbone or blocks of monomers comprising the functional group. 
     
     
         37 . The process of  claim 36 , wherein the click chemistry reaction include reactions systems comprising multiple click chemistry reactions involving different reactive functional groups. 
     
     
         38 . The process of  claim 37 , wherein the click chemistry reactions include reactions selected from the group consisting of a hydrosilation reaction of H—Si and simple non-activated vinyl compounds, urethane formation from alcohols and isocyanates, a [2+3] cycloaddition of alkyl azides and acetylenes, a Menshutkin reaction of tertiary amines with alkyl iodides or alkyl trifluoromethanesulfonates, a Michael addition reaction, a maleimide-thiol reaction, atom transfer radical addition reactions between —SO 2 Cl and an olefin, a metathesis reaction, a Staudinger reaction of phosphines with alkyl azides, and oxidative coupling of thiols. 
     
     
         39 . The process of  claim 38 , wherein a first attached functional group comprises an acetylene bond, an azido-group, a nitrile group, an acetylenic group, an amino group, or a phosphino group. 
     
     
         40 . The process of  claim 37 , wherein the multiple click chemistry reactions are selected to form a polymeric structure selected from the group consisting of linear multisegmented block copolymers, graft copolymers, star copolymers, brush copolymers, two or more polymers tethered to a substrate, dendritic or hyperbranched copolymers, and network structures.