New polymer chain architecture: Synthesis and characterization of star polymers with comb polystyrene branches

Highly branched starlike comb polystyrenes (star polymers with four and fiv e arms constituted of PS combs) have been synthesized. The strategy develop ed is based on the highly selective coupling reaction of living polystyryll ithium onto poly(chloroethyl vinyl ether) chains with a starlike chain arch itecture. The PS grafts and the poly(CEVE) building blocks were prepared in dividually by living polymerization techniques. The solution properties and the characteristic parameters ([eta], R-g, R-h, rho) of these new PS comb star macromolecules were determined and compared to those of the correspond ing "linear" PS combs. The results confirm the much higher compactness of t he new macromolecular structures, which behave as hard spheres in the whole molar mass domain examined.