Supramolecular thermoresponsive hyperbranched polymers constructed from poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) containing one adamantyl and two β-cyclodextrin terminal moieties.

Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) oligomer containing one adamantyl (AD) and two β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) moieties at the chain terminals, AD-PNIPAM-(β-CD)(2), was synthesized by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) and successive click reactions. In aqueous solution, AD-PNIPAM-(β-CD)(2) spontaneously forms supramolecular thermoresponsive hyperbranched polymers via molecular recognition between AD and β-CD moieties. To the best of our knowledge, this work represents the first report of the construction of supramolecular thermoresponsive hyperbranched polymers from well-defined polymeric AB(2) building units.