2025-06-25 東京大学
単一の高分子からなる「分子フラスコ」の中で高分子ができる
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ボトルブラシポリマーの排除体積効果に基づく単一分子リアクター Single-Molecule Reactor Based on the Excluded Volume Effect of Bottlebrush Polymers
Xiangyuan Guo.Dian Zhang,Naoko Yoshie,Shintaro Nakagawa
Journal of the American Chemical Society Published: June 24, 2025
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.5c06532
Abstract
Precise spatiotemporal control of chemical reactions, as in living organisms, is a longstanding challenge in chemistry. Herein, we develop a bottlebrush polymer reactor (BBPR), which is a simple yet versatile single-molecule reactor consisting of a bottlebrush polymer that can spatially confine various polymerization reactions. The dense side chains of bottlebrush polymers generate a strong excluded volume effect (EVE) that effectively prevents reactions between the backbone chains of individual BBPRs. However, BBPRs allow the intrusion of small molecules and linear polymer chains. BBPRs can confine two distinct polymerization reactions, namely, ring-opening metathesis polymerization and Suzuki–Miyaura polymerization, without significant inter-reactor coupling reactions. The BBPR concept offers flexibly adjustable confinement spaces, selective permeability, and facile product release, providing a new paradigm for precision control of chemical reactions.