A novel anthracene-containing isotactic polypropylene
(An-iPP) with high molecular weight (>10 ×
104) and satisfying incorporation (5.7 mol %) was synthesized
via direct copolymerization of propylene and 9-hexenylanthracene.
The pendent anthryl group of the resulting An-iPP
is quite active, and this provides a facile and efficient avenue to
synthesize various functional iPPs. As a typical
and important example, maleic anhydride (MA) functionalized polypropylene,
was successfully prepared in a highly efficient, catalyst-free, byproduct-free,
and controllable way via mild Diels–Alder (D–A) reaction
between pendent anthryl groups and MA. More importantly, the D–A
functionalization process did not sacrifice the original properties
of the An-iPP, as no unfavorable degradation and
cross-linking were detected in DSC and GPC analyses. Besides MA, several
other dienophiles could also be conveniently used as functional reagents
to prepare various functionalized iPPs with distinct
properties. The unique fluorescent property of An-iPP was studied and could be used for functionalization process monitoring.
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