Thèse de doctorat : Chimie et physico-chimie des polymères : Paris 12 : 2005. / Version électronique uniquement consultable au sein de l'Université Paris 12 (Intranet). Titre provenant de l'écran-titre. Bibliogr. : 281 réf.

Macromolecular engineering is one of the most powerful tools to control the molecular parameters, including architecture of polymers, and to improve their performances or to impart them new properties. This contribution aims at reporting on a novel strategy for the macromolecular engineering of poly-ε-caprolactone (PCL) which is based on the use of functional ε-caprolactone, the α-chloro-ε-caprolactone (αClεCL). Indeed, αClεCL is a precursor of polymers and copolymers with εCL that bear pendant activated chlorides well suited to grafting from reaction. These (co)polyesters have been used as macroinitiators for the Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization (ATRP) of methyl methacrylate leading to the corresponding graft copolymer. They have also been involved in an Atom Transfer Radical Addition (ATRA) reaction with a series of olefins bearing different functional groups (hydroxyl, carboxylic acid and epoxy group) in order to functionalize the polyester backbone without deleterious degradation. ATRA of PEO chains with an unsaturation end groups has also been carried out in order to prepare PCL-g-PEO of different compositions to be used as stabilizers of polyester nanoparticles. Combination of ring-opening polymerization of ε-caprolactone and the copper-catalyzed Huisgens [3+2] cycloaddition is a novel strategy for going a step further in the macromolecular engineering of poly-ε-caprolactone (PCL). This click reaction is very well-suited to the chemical modification of aliphatic polyesters because, its implementation under very mild conditions prevents chain degradation from occurring. Indeed, alkynes were cycloadded onto azide containing PCL at low temperature (35°C) in an organic solvent (DMF or THF). Originally, α-chloro-ε-caprolactone and ε-caprolactone were randomly copolymerized in toluene at room temperature followed by reaction of the activated chlorides with sodium azide. In order to make a wide range of functional aliphatic polyesters available, poly(α-azide-ε-caprolactone-co-ε-caprolactone) copolyesters were reacted with a series of alkynes substituted by a functional group, e.g., hydroxyl, acrylate and quaternary ammonium salts, This strategy turned out to be efficient to synthesize for instance hydrophilic, photo-cross-linkable and hydrosoluble PCL. Moreover, a variety of graft copolymers were prepared by both the grafting from and the grafting onto techniques. Indeed, an ATRP initiator was attached onto PCL followed by polymerization of vinyl monomers, whereas alkyne endcapped PEO was cycloadded onto azide-containing PCL with formation of amphiphilic PCL-g-PEO copolymers. Last but not least, the click chemistry was very instrumental in imparting an antimicrobial activity to PCL or for the preparation of new functionalized caprolactones.

La Polymérisation Radicalaire par Ouverture de Cycle (R-ROP) est une méthode de synthèse de polymères contenant des fonctions chimiques de choix dans le squelette carboné grâce à un mécanisme d'addition-fragmentation. L'utilisation de monomères spécifiques, les Acétals Cétènes Cycliques (CKA), permet dans certaines conditions l'obtention de polyesters aliphatiques dont la propriété de (bio)dégradation présente de nombreuses applications. Cette méthode relativement peu étudiée depuis les années 1980 présente un fort potentiel mais également de nombreuses limites. Ce travail de thèse a consisté à comprendre l'origine de ces limites pour tenter d'y apporter des solutions, grâce à une approche combinée expérience-théorie.Nous avons montré que l'obtention exclusive de polyesters découle d'une compétition cinétique et que le comportement des différents monomères s'explique par des interactions orbitalaires dépendant de la géométrie, la flexibilité et la substitution des cycles. D'autre part, nous avons mis en évidence l'extrême difficulté de propagation des monomères propageant via des radicaux stabilisés par des cycles aromatiques. Cette faible réactivité inhérente à la double liaison riche en électrons des CKA est également la cause de l'incorporation restreinte des monomères cycliques en copolymérisation avec des monomères vinyliques usuels. La rationalisation de la copolymérisation a été mise à profit pour réaliser des copolymérisations de type statistique et alternée. Enfin, l'étude du contrôle de la R-ROP par les nitroxydes a montré la présence de réactions secondaires propres à ce système et permettant actuellement un contrôle partiel de la polymérisation. / The Radical Ring-Opening Polymerization (R-ROP) is a synthetic pathway to introduce chemical functions into a polymer backbone due to an addition-fragmentation mechanism. Using specific monomers like Cyclic Ketene Acetals (CKA) in the right conditions allows preparing aliphatic polyesters which have numerous applications thanks to their (bio)degradability. This method has been quite faintly investigated since the 1980s and even if it has a great potential, it suffers of numerous limitations. This PhD work consisted in the understanding of those limitations to try bringing solutions to them, with a combined approach of experiments and theory.We first demonstrated that the exclusive preparation of polyesters comes from a kinetic competition. The behavior of the distinct monomers is explained by orbital interactions depending on the geometry, flexibility and substitution of the cycles. Then, we highlighted the extremely difficult propagation of the monomers propagating with stabilized aromatic radicals. This low reactivity inherent to the electron-rich double link of the CKAs is also the cause of low polyester introduction during the copolymerization with usual vinyl monomers. We took advantage of the CKA copolymerization rationalization to realize statistical and alternate copolymerizations. At last, the study of the nitroxide mediated R-ROP demonstrated the occurrence of side reactions characteristic of this system that allow at present a partial control of the polymerization.