Crown Ether Cavity-Containing Copolymers via Controlled Alternating Cyclocopolymerization

The cyclocopolymerization of difunctional styrenic flexible monomers with maleic anhydride via reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) has been investigated. The reaction proceeded to yield gel-free copolymers soluble in organic solvents. The kinetic study indicated that the cyclocopolymerization of difunctional styrenic flexible monomer with maleic anhydride proceeded in a controlled manner. The structures of resulting crown ether cavity-containing copolymers were characterized by the use of NMR spectroscopy and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. The crown ether cavities in copolymers exhibited a selective recognition for certain dialkylammonium ions.