Stabilization of Radical Initiators within a Metal-linked Molecular Capsule

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26620041
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Inorganic chemistry
• Research Institution: Tokyo Institute of Technology
• Principal Investigator: Yoshizawa Michito 東京工業大学, 資源化学研究所, 准教授 (70372399)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 分子カプセル

Outline of Final Research Achievements

AIBN and its derivatives are useful reagents for polymer and organic syntheses that generate radical species on stimuli by light or heat. These radical initiators are unstable so that they should be kept in the dark at low temperature to avoid photochemical and thermal decomposition. In this work, we demonstrated the quantitative encapsulation of the radical initiators by a metal-linked molecular capsule in aqueous solutions. We also revealed the remarkable stability of the initiators toward light and heat in the cavity shielded by the polyaromatic capsule shell. The stabilized initiators could be utilized for the radical polymerization of olefins on spontaneous release of the initiators from the capsule.

Free Research Field

超分子化学