Synthesis and reactivity of self-immolative pDTT-g-pGMA bottlebrush polymer

Post-polymerization modification of self-immolative polymers expands the application spectrum of such macromolecular materials.This work demonstrates grafting of poly(glycidyl methacrylate) brushes from a self-immolative poly(DL-dithiothreitol) backbone using activators regenerated by electron transfer-atom transfer radical polymerization (ARGET-ATRP).The polymerization kinetics of the brushes is studied in detail by 1 H NMR and size exclusion chromatography, indicating a linear increase in number-average molecular weight.Furthermore, it is demonstrated that the self-immolative properties of the backbone are retained in the bottlebrush polymers by examining the degradation process in solution.