Helix Induction Mechanisms in Poly(phenylacetylene)s bearing Oligopeptides as Pendants

Abstract

The helix is one of the topological structures and it is inherently chiral; therefore, a large number of artificial helical polymers with controlled helicity have been synthesized, not only to mimic biological helices, but also to develop chiral materials with functionally. More specifically, poly(phenylacetylene)s (PPA)s are a family of dynamic helical polymers where the screw sense and/or elongation of the backbone can be modified by the action of different external stimuli such as pH, temperature or polarity of the solvent. However, dynamic helical polymers bearing multi-chiral pendants in which the power of the chiral center located at a remote position remains unexplored. This thesis is focused on the development of new synthetic chiral materials based on poly(phenylacetylene)s (PPA)s bearing multi-chiral pendant groups. Their structure, dynamic behavior, chiral information transmission mechanisms and stimuli-responsive properties were studied, leading to promising new materials for the future rational design of novel smart materials with specific properties.