New polymer architectures: Polyrotaxanes

Abstract

Abstract Our objective is to prepare polymeric rotaxanes, materials in which many macrocycles are threaded by a linear macromolecule, in quantities sufficient to investigate the unique properties that we expect this unusual supramolecular architecture to confer. The design and synthesis of the macrocyclic components, “blocking groups” to constrain the macrocycles, and the polyrotaxanes are described. Model monomeric system has been synthesized and studied to ascertain their conformation. Step growth and chain growth approaches are described.