Synthesis and Thermoreversible Gelation of Coil-Rod Copolymers with a Dendritic Polyethylene Core and Multiple Helical Poly(γ-benzyl-L-glutamate) Arms.

Coil-rod copolymers with a dendritic polyethylene (DPE) core and multiple helical poly(γ-benzyl-L-glutamate) (PBLG) arms (DPE-(PBLG)) were prepared by palladium-catalyzed copolymerization in tandem with ring-opening polymerization (ROP). Macroinitiator (DPE-(NH)) was firstly prepared by the group transformation of DPE-(OH) generated from palladium-catalyzed copolymerization of ethylene and acrylate comonomer. Coil-helical DPE-(PBLG) copolymers were prepared by ROP of γ-benzyl-L-glutamate-N-carboxyanhydride (BLG-NCA).