Controlled preparation of amphiphilic triblock-copolyether in a metal- and solvent-free approach for tailored structure-directing agents.

Under mild conditions, PPO-PEO-PPO ("reverse Pluronics") and PBO-PEO-PBO copolyether were generated by way of N-heterocyclic olefin-based organocatalysis. Reverse Pluronics with molar masses > 20 000 g mol-1 could be synthesized with excellent control (ĐM ≤ 1.03) and were converted into (ordered) mesoporous carbons via organic self-assembly to showcase the need for tailor-made copolymer as structure-directing agent.