Macromolecules, Vol.38, No.12, 5055-5059, 2005
Formation of metallosupramolecular polymers within highly ordered silica mesochannels
Amphiphilic block copolymer EO20P70EO20 (M-n = 5800 g/mol) has been modified with terpyridine (tpy) end groups as a building block for the construction of metallosupramolecular polymers. The synthesized tpy-terminated EO20PO70EO20 1 assembles into a linear supramolecular polymer by a metal-ligand interaction between two tpy terminates of 1 and one iron ion. Use of EO20PO70EO20 having tpy terminates 1 as a template for the sol-gel polymerization of tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) results in the preparation of well-ordered hexagonal mesoporous silica structure, in which 1 is filled within highly ordered mesoporous silica channels. The incorporated tpy-terminated copolymers assemble into metal-losupramolecular polymers by the formation of metal complexes within the silica mesochannels.