Polymer Alloying of Helical Syndiotactic PMMA with [60]Fullerene-End-Capped Polymers through Inclusion Complex Formation of the Helical Cavity with Fullerene Units

We report a method of polymer alloying by inclusion complex formation of a helical synthetic polymer. By introducing C₆₀ units at the ends of poly­(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) and utilizing the inclusion complex formation between the C₆₀ units and helical syndiotactic poly­(methyl methacrylate) (st-PMMA), we succeeded in preparing an alloy of polymers that are originally immiscible. The encapsulation of PDMS-C₆₀ within the st-PMMA helical cavity occurred during the gelation of st-PMMA with toluene in the presence of PDMS-C₆₀. Although the functionality of C₆₀ in the as-prepared polymer was relatively low, the completely C₆₀-end-capped polymers can be isolated by inclusion complex formation. A brown-colored st-PMMA/PDMS-C₆₀ inclusion complex film was obtained without macroscopic phase separation by evaporating the solvent from the gel. The st-PMMA/PDMS-C₆₀ film showed improved thermal properties owing to the crystalline structure of the inclusion complex, which retained the homogeneity up to its melting point.