Synthesis and self-assembly of amphiphilic carbosilane polymers

Synthetic method of amphiphilic polycarbosilanes and their self-assembly in solution or at the air-water interface were investigated. It was found tha t ring-opening polymerizations of silacyclobutane derivatives were useful t echniques to obtain well-defined amphiphilic polycarbosilanes. It was also found that the amphiphilic polymers formed micelles in selective solvents a nd monolayer films at air-water interface. Topics are (1) living anionic po lymerization of 1,1-dialkylsilacyclobutanes, (2) block copolymer synthesis by means of a living polymerization of 1,1-diethylsilacyclobutane, (3) smal l-angle X-Ray scattering (SAXS) analysis of micelles formed by poly (1,1-di ethylsilacyclobutane-block-2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) in solution, (4) X- Ray reflectivity (XR) analysis of monolayers formed by poly (1,1-diethylsil acyclobutane-block-2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) at water surface, (5) synth esis of poly(styrene-block-3-hydroxymethyl-1,1-dimethylsilacyclobutane) by using polymerization of 3-methylenesilacyclobutane and SAXS analysis of its micelle formation, and (6) synthesis of poly (silacyclobutane-graft-ethyle ne oxide), and SAXS analysis of its solution behavior.