First example of polystyrene end-functionalized with excited state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) fluorophore by ATRP method
AbstractA novel initiator, 2-benzothiazol-2-yl-5-bromomethyl-phenol (BYBP) containing excited state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) fluorophore was synthesized. Atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of styrene was conducted successfully using BYBP as initiator, cuprous bromide (CuBr)/N,N,N’,N”,N’-pentamethyldiethylenetriamine (PMDETA) as catalyst, and cyclohexanone/DMF (mcyclohexanone: mDMF = 1: 1) as solvent. Factors such as the reaction temperature and molar ratio of catalyst to initiator, which could affect the ATRP system, were discussed in the paper. Chain extension was conducted using polymer as the macro-initiator which was characterized via 1H NMR. The optical property of initiator was well preserved in the obtained polystyrene, and the endfunctionalized polystyrene exhibited obvious fluorescent emission at about 530 nm.