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A simplified one-pot and less harmful method has been introduced for the synthesis of borinic acid monomer. The corresponding borinic acid polymer (PBA) has been prepared by reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerization. Property investigations confirm the characteristics of PBA as a new type of "smart material" in the field of thermo-responsive polymer. The potential application of PBA in the field of enzymatic biofuel cell has been illustrated with a wide open circuit potential of 0.92 V.

A one-pot method is introduced for the successful synthesis of narrow-distributed (Đ = 1.22) vinyl polymer with both ultrahigh molecular weight (UHMW) (M w = 1.31 × 106 g mol-1 ) and micro-/nanomorphology under mild conditions. The method involves the following four stages: homogeneous polymerization, polymerization-induced self-assembly (PISA), PISA and reorganization, and PISA and multiple reorganizations. The key points to the production of UHMW polystyrene are to minimize radical termination by segregating radicals in different nanoreactors and to ensure sufficient chain propagation by promoting further reorganizations of these reactors in situ. This method therefore endows polymeric materials with the outstanding properties of both UHMW and tunable micro-/nanoparticles under mild conditions in one pot.

A facile and feasible strategy for the preparation of vesicular morphologies has been developed using reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. The polymerization of styrene has been performed in a selected solvent, methanol, using S-1-dodecyl-S-(α,α'-dimethyl-α″-acetic acid)trithiocarbonate (TC)-terminated poly(4-vinylpyridine) as chain transfer agent and stabilizer. Various morphologies including spherical vesicles, nanotubes, and compound vesicles with different shapes are obtained by changing the feed ratios and reaction conditions. The final nanostructural materials are formed through formation of the block copolymers, self-assembly, and re-organization of the morphology in a one-pot polymerization. The latter two are induced by the propagation of PS blocks. The preparation of nanostructural materials can be performed at a concentration higher than 0.5 g · mL(-1) , thus this method offers a practical approach to prepare nanostructural materials on a large scale.

Block copolymer (BCP) self-assembly is a versatile technique in the preparation of polymeric aggregates with varieties of morphologies. However, its morphology library is limited. Here, the discovery of pincushion of tubules is reported for the first time, via BCP self-assembly of poly(4-vinylpyridine)-b-polystyrene (P4VP-b-PS) with very high molecular weight (500 kDa) and asymmetry (2 mol% P4VP). The investigation confirms the importance of core-forming block length on morphology control of BCP self-assemblies, especially with respect to tubular structures. The morphology landscape of tubular structures is successfully established, where dumbbell of tubule, tubule, loose clew of tubules, tight clew of tubules, and pincushion of tubules can be prepared by adjusting the core-forming block length. This work therefore expands the structure library of BCP self-assemblies and opens up a new avenue for the further applications of these tubular materials.