Synthesis of Dendronized Polymers by a “n + 2” Approach

A series of dendronized polymers (DP) were synthesized by attaching second-generation dendron onto the preformed DP core of generation 1–3 (n + 2 approach). The obtained DP were compared to the reference DP prepared by the conventional graft-from (n + 1) approach using GPC, UV–vis, ¹H NMR, and AFM analyses. The former two analyses showed that the newly prepared DP tend to have a more significant decrease in dendron integrity as the generation increases; however, the striking similarities from the latter two analyses suggest that the properties of the new samples do not much deviate from the reference DP by the graft-from approach. The advantages of the “n + 2” approach over the “n + 1” approach include shorter reaction time, higher yield, and easier purification. On top of these, it has the power of surpassing some selected postpolymerization steps, which are required for the conventional graft-from approach and may be detrimental in some occasions.