Rapid Synthesis and MALDI-ToF Characterization of Poly(ethylene oxide) Multiarm Star Polymers

Multiarm PEO star polymers with a purely aliphatic polyether structure have been synthesized using hyperbranched polyglycerol (PG) with different molecular weights as a multifunctional initiator. Different degrees of deprotonation of the initiator were studied with respect to molecular weight control. The results show that the degree of deprotonation is a crucial parameter for the synthesis of well-defined polymers with controlled molecular weights. Partial deprotonation of the PIG hydroxyl groups (5-8%) was proven to represent an optimum for the synthesis of star polymers with molecular masses close to the theoretical values. Molecular weights of the stars ranged between 9 000 and 30 000 g . mol(-1). MALDI-ToF spectra confirmed that the PEO arms in the star polymers possess homogeneous lengths.