Universal Synthetic Strategy for the Construction of Topological Polystyrenesulfonates: The Importance of Linkage Stability during Sulfonation

Dilute polyelectrolyte solutions: recent progress and open questions

Polyelectrolytes are a class of polymers possessing ionic groups on their repeating units. Since counterions can dissociate from the polymer backbone, polyelectrolyte chains are strongly influenced by electrostatic interactions. As a result, the physical properties of polyelectrolyte solutions are significantly different from those of electrically neutral polymers. The aim of this article is to highlight key results and some outstanding questions in the polyelectrolyte research from recent literature. We focus on the influence of electrostatics on conformational and hydrodynamic properties of polyelectrolyte chains. A compilation of experimental results from the literature reveals significant disparities with theoretical predictions. We also discuss a new class of polyelectrolytes called poly(ionic liquid)s that exhibit unique physical properties in comparison to ordinary polyelectrolytes. We conclude this review by listing some key research challenges in order to fully understand the conformation and dynamics of polyelectrolytes in solutions.

Preparation of Functional Long-Subchain Hyperbranched Polystyrenes via Post-polymerization Modification: Study on the Critical Role of Chemical Stability of Branching Linkage

Post-polymerization modification (PPM) is one of the most powerful strategy for preparing polymers with functional groups that cannot be synthesized by direct polymerization. So far, numerous experimental efforts have been devoted to the stability issue of monomer structures during the PPM process, but little attention was paid to chemical linkages. However, for hyperbranched polymers, a minor change of linkage unit could lead to a significant influence on the overall stability and performance of polymer materials. In this work, we investigated the chemical stability of long-subchain hyperbranched polystyrenes with ester, aryl ether, and carbon-carbon bonds as branching linkages under a few most popular PPM conditions, including NaOH hydrolysis reaction, TFA-promoted hydrolysis reaction, BBr3-catalyzed methoxy-hydroxyl conversion reaction, and LiAlH4 carbonyl reduction reaction. Related results are summarized into a synthetic route map that can provide practical and intuitive guidance for preparing functional long-subchain hyperbranched polystyrenes and other type of polymers by PPM for future applications.