Star polymers with perfectly alternating arms from dendritic initiators

The design of a unique dendritic initiator combining initiating site for both ring opening polymerization (ROP) and atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) within the same molecule is described. The versatility of the initiator was proven by the synthesis of a novel type of star polymers comprising polycaprolactone (PCL) and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) arms in a perfectly alternating architecture. In an extension work, initiators with larger numbers of arms were synthesized. Eventually, the use of more hydrophilic monomers such as acrylic acid derivatives is expected to yield unimolecular micellar structures.