Single UV or Near IR Triggering Event Leads to Polymer Degradation into Small Molecules

Caroline de Gracia Lux, Cathryn L. McFearin, Shivanjali Joshi-Barr, Jagadis Sankaranarayanan,
Nadezda Fomina, and Adah Almutairi

http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/mz3002403

From the monomers in the synthetic scheme below, polymers were made that were endcapped with either a UV degradable o-nitrobenzyl alcohol group or a NIR degradable bromo-coumarin group. Deprotection of these endgroups with the appropriate wavelength led to degradation of the polymer in a domino effect as depicted in the figure below.