UCLA

In this paper, we present a new synthetic route to produce optically active nanofibers of poly[2-(sec-butyl) aniline] (PSBA). Optically active PSBA nanofibers were produced by in situ chemical oxidative polymerization of a racemic monomer, (±)-2-sec-buthylaniline, in the presence of 1.5 M (+)- or (-)-camphor sulfonic acid (HCSA) with a monomer concentration of 0.025 M at 0 °C. The mirror-imaged circular dichroism spectra of both PSBA/(+)HCSA and PSBA/(-)HCSA show that the two polymers are optically active enantiomers, and in this condition, the chemical oxidation of 2SBA is enantioselective polymerization. The produced polymer has a uniform nanofibrillar morphology with an average diameter of 55 nm according to scanning electron microscopy and a number average molecular weight of 4680 g/mol as determined by gel permeation chromatography.