Fatty acids were used as precursors for the synthesis of photo-sensitive polycarbonate materials. In order to avoid multi-step reactions, a simple and straightforward methodology toward the synthesis of photo-sensitive monomers has been developed. Hence, a fatty acid-based cyclic carbonate bearing an unsaturation was synthesized and subsequently polymerized in a controlled manner (Ɖ=1,07) by organo-catalyzed ring-opening polymerization (ROP). A thio-cinnamate derivative was then readily synthesized via a one-pot reaction and grafted onto the polycarbonate backbone by thiol-ene reaction. The content of photo-responsive cinnamoyl moiety grafted on the polycarbonate was tunable with the reaction time. Such functionalized polycarbonates could be cross-linked (by UV irradiation at 365 nm) and de-cross-linked (irradiated at 254nm) and exhibit versatile properties ranging from rather tough materials to elastomeric networks with respect to the content of the photo-sensitive cinnamoyl moiety grafted on the polymer.
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