A photo-selective chain-end modification of polyacrylate-iodide and its application in patterned polymer brush synthesis

A photo-selective chain-end modification of polyacrylate-iodide (polymer-I) was developed. In the presence of a functional primary amine (NH₂-R-X with an X functionality) and formic acid, by simply switching the ultraviolet (UV) light on and off, polymer-I was selectively converted to hydrogen-terminated polymer-H and chain-end functionalized polymer-NH-R-X (polymer-X), respectively. The scopes of the amenable functional X groups and polyacrylates are wide, and hence this method may serve as a general and versatile method for selective chain-end modification. As a useful application, this method was successfully used to fabricate chain-end patterned binary polymer brushes on surfaces. This method is free from metal, amenable to various functionalities, and useful for designing a range of chain-end functionalized polymers and surface-functionalized materials.