Synthesis and Properties of Crosslinked Chiral Nanoparticles via RAFT Miniemulsion Polymerization

Crosslinked chiral nanoparticles were successfully synthesized via reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) miniemulsion polymerization of 6-O-p-vinylbenzyl-1,2:3,4-di-O-isopropylidene-D-galactopyranose (VBPG) using linear poly(VBPG) as the macro-RAFT agent. The polymerization of VBPG in the absence of crosslinker was first studied and the kinetic results showed that the molecular weights of the obtained poly(VBPG) increased linearly with the monomer conversion and was in good consistency with the corresponding theoretical ones while there remained a relative narrow polydispersity. The effect of the amount of crosslinker, divinylbenzene, on the nanoparticle size and chiral separation properties of the obtained nanoparticles were investigated in detail using four racemates +/--3-Amino-1,2-propanediol, D,L-arabinose, D,L-tartaric acid, and D,L-mandelic acid. (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 1324-1331, 2010