Multiarm star polymers with peripheral dendritic PMMA arms through Diels-Alder click reaction

Dendritic 2- and 4-arm PMMA-based star polymers with furan-protected maleimide at their focal point, (PMMA)_2n-MI and (PMMA) _4n-MI were efficiently clicked with the peripheral anthracene functionalized multiarm star polymer, (α-anthryl functionalized- polystyrene)_m-poly(divinyl benzene) ((α-anthryl-PS) _m-polyDVB) through the Diels-Alder reaction resulting in corresponding multiarm star block copolymers: (PMMA)_2n-(PS) _m-polyDVB and (PMMA)_4n-(PS)_m-polyDVB, respectively. Molecular weights (M_w,TDGPC), hydrodynamic radius (R_h), and intrinsic viscosity (η) of the multiarm star polymers were determined using three-detection GPC (TD-GPC). The high efficiency of this methodology to obtain such sterically demanding macromolecular constructs was deduced using ¹H-NMR and UV-vis spectroscopy.