Functional Polyethers by Combining Oxyanionic Ring-Opening Polymerization and Click Chemistry

This work was motivated by the aim to design polyethers with predictable molecular weights, specific functionalities, and different topologies and tactics through a sustainable approach. After an overview of polyethers, with a focus on poly(propylene oxide) (PPO), the emphasis is on thiol-ene/-yne click reactions for their chemical modification in chapters 1 and 2. The chapter 3 addresses the challenge of polymerization of propylene oxide (PO) with potassium acetate (KOAc) and 18-crown-6 ether (18C6), obtaining PPO in a controlled manner at room temperature and under solvent-free conditions. In the chapter 4, the copolymerization of PO with two glycidyl ethers demonstrates the efficiency of the 18C6/KOAc complex in producing well-defined polyethers with different topologies. Finally, chapter 5 illustrates the synthesis of optical PPO and discusses the effect of molecular weight on thermal properties and structural differences between R and S PPOs during crystallization studies.