A One‐Pot Polymerization for Concurrently Inducing Predominant Helicity in Optically Inactive Helical Polymer and Constructing Graphene‐Based Chiral Hybrid Foams

• Published in: Macromolecular rapid communications. 2019-07, Vol.40 (13), p.e1900146-n/a
• Main Authors: Li, Pengpeng, Ma, Zongwen, Mei, Song, Pan, Kai, Deng, Jianping
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Ascorbic acid; Ascorbic Acid - chemistry; Catalysis; Chemical industry; chiral; Chirality; Foams; Functional groups; Functional materials; Graphene; Graphite - chemistry; helical polymers; Helicity; hybrid foams; Hybrids; Monomers; Plastic foam; polyacetylenes; Polymerization; Polymers; Polymers - chemistry; Reducing agents; Ruthenium - chemistry; Stereoisomerism; Strategy
• ISSN: 1022-1336; 1521-3927
• DOI: 10.1002/marc.201900146

Synthetic chiral helical polymers have achieved impressive progress in past few decades. Unfortunately, how to construct chiral helical polymer‐derived functional materials still remains highly challenging. The present contribution reports an unprecedented, one‐step strategy for judiciously combining chiral helical polymer with graphene to construct chiral hybrid foams. Graphene oxide (GO), ascorbic acid (L‐AA), Rh catalyst, and an achiral acetylenic monomer bearing phenylboronic acid group are mixed in an aqueous dispersion. Under mild conditions, the monomer underwent polymerization; meanwhile GO transforms into reduced graphene oxide (RGO) which in situ self‐assembles to construct a 3D porous structure. Herein, L‐AA simultaneously plays double roles: 1) working as a chiral source for the monomer to undergo helix‐sense‐selective polymerization or transferring its chirality to the polymer chains via forming borate structure; and 2) working as a reducing agent for reducing GO. The preparation strategy combines four processes into one single step: monomer polymerization, chirality transfer, reduction of GO, and RGO's self‐assembly. The eventually obtained chiral hybrid foams demonstrate advantages of porous structure, chirality, and reversible borate functional groups. The established preparation strategy promises a potent platform for conveniently constructing advanced chiral polymeric materials and even chiral hybrids starting from achiral monomers. A simple one‐step method to prepare chiral helical polymer‐functionalized graphene hybrid foams showing attractive chirality is established. The chiral foams demonstrate fascinating features due to the porous structure, chirality, and reversible borate structures. Moreover, the reversibility of the borate ester structure under acid–base conditions in principle endows the chiral graphene hybrid foams with chiral adjustability.