(75d) Precision Bottlebrush Polymers: Elucidating the Impact of Discrete Building Blocks

Well-defined narrow dispersity bottlebrush polymers remain a structurally heterogeneous soft material because they are prepared through polymerizing a disperse mixture of macromonomers. We describe the synthesis of topologically precise and truly discrete (Đ = 1.0) bottlebrush polymers. Discrete building blocks were key to the design of accurate and uniform homo- and multi-block topology. Such topology was harnessed to control their thermomechanical properties without changing their chemical make-up, they can also be used as a template in the synthesis of well-defined functional (nano)materials with unique properties. Our results highlight the importance of precision building blocks in advancing structure-property relationship studies and the development of precision polymer platforms.