Incorporation of a boryl pendant as the trigger in a methacrylate polymer for backbone degradation

Alkenylboronate units were incorporated into poly(methyl methacrylate) as trigger sites for backbone degradation. The complexation of a fluoride anion to the boron pendant and subsequent activation by a manganese salt triggered the degradation through the generation of a main-chain carbon radical and beta-scission in an adjacent methacrylate unit. The addition of catechol was required, and presumably the chelate coordination to the Mn center was crucial for the degradation.

Automated summary

Alkenylboronate units were introduced into poly(methyl methacrylate) as trigger sites for backbone degradation. The degradation was triggered through the complexation of a fluoride anion to the boron pendant and subsequent activation by a manganese salt, resulting in the generation of a main-chain carbon radical and β-scission in an adjacent methacrylate unit. The addition of catechol was required, and chelate coordination to the Mn center was crucial for the degradation.