Fluorescent and Catalytically Active Single Chain Nanoparticles
Patrick H. Maag, Florian Feist, Hendrik Frisch, Peter W. Roesky, Christopher Barner‐Kowollik
Abstract
Fluorescent and catalytically active single chain nanoparticle (SCNP) systems allow for the visualization and tracing of the catalyst’s distribution in a reaction system. We herein report a synthetic strategy to such SCNPs, generated through a photoactivated reaction at visible light (λmax = 415 nm) irradiation. Notably, the compaction reaction generates a fluorescent entity via a pro-fluorescent precursor. A polymer backbone (Mn = 21,000 g mol–1 and Đ = 1.3), carrying phosphine ligands for the coordination of catalytically active gold complexes and the photoreactive ortho-methylbenzaldehyde units and complementary alkyne moieties, was constructed based on nitroxide-mediated polymerization. The synthetic protocol entails an intermediate protection sequence for the catalyst-carrying phosphine unit to enable the installation of the cross-linking entities. The successful compaction of the SCNPs is demonstrated by a reduction in the chain’s hydrodynamic volume via size exclusion chromatography and diffusion-ordered NMR spectroscopy.