Water soluble copolymers containing a poly(acetylene) sequence

Summary form only given. We have recently shown that poly(phenylvinylsulfoxide) (PPVS) can be used as a precursor for poly(acetylene) (PA). The main interest of this route to PA is that PPVS can be obtained via living anionic polymerization so it becomes possible to introduce PA sequences into well defined macromolecular structures. The first application was to synthesized PS-PA block copolymers. Now we have prepared poly(glycidylmethaerylate)-poly(phenylvinylsulfoxide) (PMG-PPVS) block copolymers. The aim of this work was to obtained well defined water soluble polymers containing a PA sequence. PMG-PA block copolymers with narrow poydispersities have been synthesized and a completed study of these copolymers, soluble in common organic solvents, has been done. The SEC trace shows a bimodal distribution of molecular weights resulting from the presence of free chains and aggregated ones. The PA block of these copolymers can be reduced by simple contact with a potassium mirror and the copolymers stay in solution even at high doping levels. The transformation of the PMG sequence into a water soluble poly(dihydroxypropylmethacrylate) (PDHPM) sequence has been done and the PDHPM-PPVS copolymers studied by SEC in water. After transformation of the PPVS sequence into PA, water soluble polymer containing a PA sequence could be obtained.