Synthesis and Properties of Star Polymers with a C5-Symmetric Bowl-Shaped Aromatic Core

We report the synthesis and properties of star polymers with a C-5-symmetric aromatic core. For this, corannulene-based penta-substituted polymerization initiators were synthesized. These initiators were then used to polymerize cyclic ester and styrenic monomers via ring opening polymerization and free radical polymerization methods, respectively. Preliminary results suggest that these novel polymers can interact with fullerene, C-60, and the degree of interaction can be tuned by the chemical nature of the solvent. (C) 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 50: 26412649, 2012