Graft Copolymers are branched macromolecules in which side chains of one composition grow from a backbone of another, so the two components stay covalently joined but phase-separate locally [1]. Poly(3-hydroxyalkanoate) grafts have been reviewed across synthesis routes, properties and end uses [1]. Polyisobutylene-polyester grafts combine a rubbery backbone with hydrolytically labile side chains, and their degradation follows from that architecture [2]. Branched polystyrene-graft-polyfluorene copolymers carry optoelectronic function in the side chains while the backbone sets film quality [3]. Grafting onto starch yields a material with semiconducting behaviour, the polysaccharide providing the scaffold [4]. Molecular design of block and graft copolymers containing polyoxyethylene segments shows how branch length and density control the final morphology [5].
- graft copolymer
- branched polymer
- backbone
- side chain
- grafting
- phase separation
References
- Nguyen, S. Graft copolymers containing poly(3-hydroxyalkanoates) — A review on their synthesis, properties, and applications. Canadian Journal of Chemistry 2008, 86, 570-578. [CrossRef]
- Turowec, B.A.; Gillies, E.R. Synthesis, properties and degradation of polyisobutylene–polyester graft copolymers. Polymer International 2017, 66, 42-51. [CrossRef]
- Chen, C.; Jiang, R.; Liu, C.; Sudprasert, P.; Sun, H.; Tang, G.; Cheng, J.; Ogino, K. Synthesis and Optoelectronic Properties of Branched Polystyrene-graft-Polyfluorene Copolymers. Micromachines 2026, 17, 728. [CrossRef]
- Çankaya, N. Synthesis of graft copolymers onto starch and its semiconducting properties. Results in Physics 2016, 6, 538-542. [CrossRef]
- Xie, H. Molecular design, synthesis and properties of block and graft copolymers containing polyoxyethylene segments. Progress in Polymer Science 1999, 24, 275-313. [CrossRef]