• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.28 no.10
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• pp.1771-1776
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• 2007

The synthesis of well-defined dendrons based on aliphatic polyether dendritic cores and glassy polystyrene peripheries is described. The synthetic route involves a combination of living anionic polymerization and a stepwise convergent method consisting of iterative Williamson etherification and hydroboration/oxidation reactions. On the basis of molecular weight, as characterized by gel permeation chromatography (GPC), the first generation dendron (Generation-1) shows a random coil conformation like a linear polystyrene, while higher generations (Generation-2 and 3) reveal globular forms in solution.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.113-119
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• 2008

A series of amphiphilic dendrons n-18 (n: generation number, 18: octadecyl chain) based on an aliphatic polyether denderitic core and octadecyl peripheries were synthesized using a convergent dendron synthesis consisting of a Williamson etherification and hydroboration/oxidation reactions. This study investigated their thermal and self-assembling behavior in the solid state using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) absorption spectroscopy, and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). DSC indicated that the melting transition and the corresponding heat of the fusion of the octadecyl chain decreased with each generation. FT-IR showed that the hydroxyl focal groups were hydrogen-bonded with one another in the solid state. DSC and FT-IR indicated microphase-separation between the hydrophilic dendritic cores and hydrophobic octadecyl peripheries. SAXS data analysis in the solid state suggested that the lower-generation dendrons 1-18 and 2-18 self-assemble into lamellar structures based upon a bilayered packing of octadecyl peripheries. In contrast, the analyzed data of higher-generation dendron 3-18 is consistent with 2-D oblique columnar structures, which presumably consist of elliptical cross sections. The data obtained could be rationalized by microphase-separation between the hydrophilic dendritic core and hydrophobic octadecyl peripheries, and the degree of interfacial curvature associated with dendron generation.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.1167-1172
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• 2008

We investigated the glass transition temperatures ($T_g$) of dendrons consisting of conformationally mobile aliphatic polyether dendritic cores plus glassy peripheral polystyrenes (PSs), and linear PSs in the molecular weight range of 1000-8500 g/mol. We compared their $T_g$ behavior depending on their polymeric architecture. The linear PSs show a typical growth of $T_g$ up to 92.5 ${^{\circ}C}$ as the molecular weight increases to 8300 g/mol, while the dendrons display nearly constant $T_g$ values of 58-61 ${^{\circ}C}$, despite the increase of molecular weight with each generation. The striking contrast of Tg behavior would be mainly attributed to the fact that the dendrons keep the ratio of $N_e$/M ($N_e$: number of peripheral chain ends, M: molecular weight) over all the generations. Additionally, for the influence of dendritic spacers on glass transition temperature we prepared dimeric PSs with different linkage groups such as aliphatic ether, ester and amide bonds. We found that the dimer with the ether spacer exhibited the lowest glass transition at 55.4 ${^{\circ}C}$, while the amide linked dimer showed the highest glass transition temperature at 74.2 ${^{\circ}C}$. This indicates that the peripheral PS chains are effectively decoupled by the conformationally flexible ether spacer. The results from this study demonstrated that polymeric architecture and dendritic core structures play a crucial role in the determination of glass transition behavior, providing a strategy for the systematic engineering of polymer chain mobility.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.28 no.10
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• pp.1777-1780
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• 2007

The synthesis of well-defined dendrons based on aliphatic polyether dendritic cores and glassy polystyrene peripheries is described. The synthetic route involves a combination of living anionic polymerization and a stepwise convergent method consisting of iterative Williamson etherification and hydroboration/oxidation reactions. On the basis of molecular weight, as characterized by gel permeation chromatography (GPC), the first generation dendron (Generation-1) shows a random coil conformation like a linear polystyrene, while higher generations (Generation-2 and 3) reveal globular forms in solution.