Sequential and alternating RAFT single unit monomer insertion: model trimers as the guide for discrete oligomer synthesis

Sequence-defined polymers have garnered increasing attention in a broad range of applications from materials engineering to medical science. Reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer single unit monomer insertion (RAFT SUMI) technology has recently emerged as a powerful tool for sequence-defined polymer synthesis, which utilizes sequential monomer radical additions occurring one unit at a time to assemble olefins into uniform polymers. The strategy of employing alternating additions of electron-donor and acceptor (D-A) monomers can be used to prepare long chain sequence-defined polymers by the RAFT SUMI technique. However, considering both terminal and penultimate unit effects, complex radical reaction kinetics can result from various monomer addition orders particularly if three or more different families of vinyl monomers are used to build diverse sequences. Simplifying reaction processes and establishing reaction kinetics will be critical for effective synthesis of sequence-defined polymers. Herein, a series of model trimers containing D-A-D and A-D-A triads was thus produced from four families of alpha,beta-disubstituted vinyl monomers (N-phenylmaleimide, fumaronitrile and dimethyl fumarate and indene). Such trimers presented distinct synthesis kinetics (reaction rate and yield). These model trimers and their kinetics data are able to provide full guidance for the synthesis of long chain discrete polymers using sequential and alternating RAFT SUMI processes.