Prof. Dieter Schlüter "Synthesis of 2D polymers"

The present interest in graphene, a naturally occurring two-dimensional polymer, makes clear that there is no organic synthetic method available that would allow accessing a covalently bonded molecular sheet with internal periodicity and a thickness of one monomer unit only.[1] After a brief overview of “organic” and “polymer” approaches performed so far, the concepts will be presented which are presently being pursued in the authors’ laboratory. They rest upon designed monomers, interfacial as well as single crystalline ordering, and both metal-complexation[2] and light-induced solid state polymerizations in the single crystal and at interfaces.[3] The lecture will provide a state-of-the-art picture including the first solution to the problem.[3] This work is considered an expansion of Staudinger’s polymerization concept in which (linear) macromolecules with linear repeat units are generated.[4] We are creating sheet-like macromolecules with topologically planar repeat units.
 
[1] J. Sakamoto, J. van Heijst, O. Lukin, A. D. Schlüter, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2009, 48, 1030-1069.
[2] T. Bauer, Z. Zheng, A. Renn, R. Enning, A. Stemmer, J. Sakamoto, A. D. Schlüter, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2011, 50, 7879-7884.
[3] P. Kissel, R. Erni, W. B. Schweizer, M. D. Rossell, B. T. King, T. Bauer, S. Götzinger, A. D. Schlüter, J. Sakamoto, Nat. Chem. 2012, DOI: 10.1038/NCHEM.1265.
[4] H. Staudinger Ber. 1920, 53B, 1073-1085.
 

This work is being carried out in collaboration with PD Dr. Junji Sakamoto, ETH.