Developing an Electrochemically Redox Switchable System for Polymer Synthesis

Abstract

This dissertation discusses the development of an electrochemically switchable system for copolymer synthesis as well as surface modifications. In Chapter one, the usage of electrochemistry to control polymerization reactivities is introduced. In Chapter two, an electrochemically redox switchable polymerization for lactide and cyclohexene oxide will be presented. In Chapter three, a surface modification method based on the electrochemically redox switchable catalysis is discussed. The surface-anchored catalyst responds to applied electrochemical potentials towards two different ring-opening polymerizations to generate binary polymer patterns in one step. The method represents a facile way to generate polymer coatings on surfaces. In Chapter four, a discussion on the detailed kinetic analysis of an iron-catalyzed epoxide polymerization will be presented, the study allows us to unveil the importance of entropy-controlled reactions. In Chapter five, future perspectives on the electrochemically redox switchable catalysis will be discussed.