Synthesis and characterization of fluorocarbon‐containing,hydrophobically associative poly(acrylic acid‐co‐Rf‐poly(ethylene glycol) macromonomer)

Fluorocarbon‐ or hydrocarbon‐end‐capped poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) macromonomers were prepared with coupling methods. Several factors affecting the synthesis were studied, and the optimal condition was ascertained. The critical micelle concentrations of these macromonomers were determined with the fluorescence method. Novel fluorocarbon‐containing, hydrophobically modified, alkali‐soluble copolymers were made by the copolymerization of fluorocarbon‐ or hydrocarbon‐alkyl‐end‐capped PEG macromonomers with acrylic acid in an organic solvent. The effects of the macromonomer contents, polymerization conditions, spacer, temperature, shear rate, pH, and addition of salt and various surfactants on the solution viscosity were preliminarily investigated. A very strong hydrophobic association was found for these copolymer solutions. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 84: 1035–1047, 2002; DOI 10.1002/app.10393     

Influence of folate conjugation on the cellular uptake degree of poly(allylamine hydrochloride) microcapsules

The microcapsules in drug delivery systems can prevent degradation of drugs and help to control the release rate. To enhance the targeted delivery effect of the microcapsules to cancer cells, some specific ligands such as folic acid (FA) are necessarily further conjugated. Herein, covalent poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) multilayers were fabricated on CaCO₃ microparticles under the cross‐linking of glutaraldehyde, which were further immobilized with different amount of FA molecules via the spacer of diamino terminated poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG). As a comparison study, four types of microcapsules, i.e., the PAH capsules, the PAH capsules grafted with PEG, and the PAH capsules conjugated with two different amount of FA via the PEG spacer were prepared. Their chemical and physical structures were confirmed by infrared spectroscopy, UV–vis spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. In vitro cell culture found that the cellular uptake of the PAH capsules grafted with PEG was reduced significantly compared with that of the pure PAH capsules. The FA‐modified microcapsules could be selectively delivered into HepG2 tumor cells which overexpress FA receptors but not into the endothelial cells. The number of HepG2 cells which ingested the FA‐conjugated capsules showed a positive correlation with FA amount. The results indicate that these FA conjugated capsules have a high selectivity to be delivered to tumor cells, endowing them with a larger opportunity functioning as targeted delivery vehicle for anticancer drugs. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Effects of guest poly(ethyleneglycol) on the order-to-disorder transition of hydrophobically modified poly(ethyleneglycol) (C12E25) micellar solution

Order-to-disorder transition of micellar aqueous solution of hydrophobically modified ethyleneglycol oligomer, poly(ethyleneglycol) monododecylether (C12E25) with addition of poly(ethyleneglycol) (PEG) has been investigated by means of linear-viscoelastic measurements, X-ray scattering, and differential scanning calorimetry. We have revealed the followings. Added PEG having a chain length similar to that of micellar corona PEG can be incorporated into the micellar lattice of C12E25 aqueous solution with maintaining the body-centered-cubic lattice structure. The transition mechanically observed as the sol-gel transition is a thermodynamical first-order transition of disorder-to-order. The transition temperature decreases with increasing concentration of guest PEG. The stability of micellar lattice is discussed in terms of guest chain localization in the lattice.     

Miscibility of polystyrene with poly(ethylene oxide) and poly(ethylene glycol)

The intrinsic viscosity of polystyrene–poly(ethylene oxide) (PS–PEO) and PS–poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) blends have been measured in benzene as a function of blend composition for various molecular weights of PEO and PEG at 303.15 K. The compatibility of polymer pairs in solution were determined on the basis of the interaction parameter term, Δb, and the difference between the experimental and theoretical weight-average intrinsic viscosities of the two polymers, Δ[η]. The theoretical weight-average intrinsic viscosities were calculated by interpolation of the individual intrinsic viscosities of the blend components. The compatibility data based on [η] determined by a single specific viscosity measurement, as a quick method for the determination of the intrinsic viscosity, were compared with that obtained from [η] determined via the Huggins equation. The effect of molecular weights of the blend components and the polymer structure on the extent of compatibility was studied. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 69: 1471–1482, 1998     

Modification of polycarbonateurethane surface with poly (ethylene glycol) monoacrylate and phosphorylcholine glyceraldehyde for anti-platelet adhesion

Poly(ethylene glycol) monoacrylate (PEGMA) is grafted onto polycarbonateurethane (PCU) surface via ultraviolet initiated photopolymerization. The hydroxyl groups of poly(PEGMA) on the surface react with one NCO group of isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI) and another NCO group of IPDI is then hydrolyzed to form amino terminal group, which is further grafted with phosphorylcholine glyceraldehyde to establish a biocompatible hydrophilic structure on the surface. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirm the successful grafting of both PEG and phosphorylcholine functional groups on the surface. The decrease of the water contact angle for the modified film is caused by synergic effect of PEG and phosphorylcholine, which both have the high hydrophilicity. Furthermore, the number of platelets adhered is relative low on the synergetically modified PCU film compared with the PCU film modified only by poly(PEGMA). Our synergic modification method using both PEG and phosphorylcholine may be applied in surface modification of blood-contacting biomaterials and some relevant devices.     

Rheology control by modulating hydrophobic and inclusion associations in modified poly(acrylic acid) solutions

The rheology of modified poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) solutions can be tuned by controlling the inclusion interactions between α-cyclodextrins and alkyl hydrophobes. We demonstrate three modes of control: (1) using free cyclodextrins (CD) to displace hydrophobe-hydrophobe association in hydrophobically modified poly(acrylic acid) (HMPAA) polymers—which reduces fluid viscosity, (2) using competitive inclusion interactions where stronger SDS:CD binding can be used to ‘unmask’ CD:hydropobe inclusion interactions—which increases viscosity, and (3) employing HMPAA inclusion interactions with CD groups grafted to PAA chains (CDPAA)—which produces higher viscosities than purely hydrophobic association systems at the same concentration. The inclusion association between alkyl side-group in HMPAA and CD, either free or grafted onto PAA, obeys a 1-to-1 stoichiometry at low polymer concentrations (<1 wt%). In contrast to purely hydrophobically associating polymers, the CD:hydrophobe interaction is only binary, and, therefore, these associated networks should be ideal model systems to test theoretical predictions for associative fluids.     

Surfactant interactions with P(AM–AA–BPAM) hydrophobically modified polyelectrolytes

The interactions of hydrophobically modified polyelectrolytes poly(acrylamide–sodium acrylic acid–N‐(4‐butyl)phenylacrylamide [P(AM‐AA‐BPAM)] with anionic (sodium dodecyl sulfate), cationic (cetyl trimethylammonium bromide), and nonionic (tetradecyldimethyl‐aminoxid) surfactants were studied via solution rheology, surface tension, and atomic force microscopy measurements. Viscosity measurements indicated that the intermolecular association of the polymer was greatly enhanced by the interaction with the surfactants, especially the oppositely charged surfactants with both a hydrophobic association and an electrostatic attraction. The greatest viscosity increase was realized with the addition of such oppositely charged surfactants. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 89: 2664–2671, 2003     

Antielectrostatic poly(ether ester) block copolymer of poly(ethylene terephthalate‐co‐isophthalate)–poly(ethylene glycol)

Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) fiber has a low moisture regain, which allows it to easily gather static charges, and many investigations have been carried out on this problem. In this study, a series of poly(ethylene terephthalate‐co‐isophthalate) (PEIT)–poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) block copolymers were prepared by the incorporation of isophthalic acid (IPA) during esterification and PEG during condensation. PEG afforded PET with an increased moisture affinity, which in turn, promoted the leakage of static charges. However, PET also then became easier to crystallize, even at room temperature, which led to decreased antistatic properties and increased manufacturing inconveniences. IPA was, therefore, used to reduce the crystallinity of the copolymers and, at the same time, make their crystal structure looser for increased water absorption. Moreover, PET fibers with incorporated IPA and PEG showed good dyeability. In this article, the structural characterization of the copolymers and antistatic and mechanical properties of the resulting fibers are discussed. At 4 wt % IPA, the fiber containing 1 mol % PEG with a molecular weight of 1000 considerably improved antistatic properties and other properties. In addition, the use of PEIT–PEG as an antistatic agent blended with PET or modified PET fibers also benefitted the antistatic properties. Moreover, PEIT–PEG could be used with another antistatic agent to produce fibers with a low volume resistance. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 89: 1696–1701, 2003     

Preparation and characterization of poly(trimethylene terephthalate)‐poly(ethylene oxide terephthalate) segmented copolymer/multiwalled carbon nanotubes composites by in situ polymerization

Poly(trimethylene terephthalate)‐poly(ethylene oxide terephthalate) block copolymer (PTG)/multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) composites were prepared via in situ polymerization. To improve the dispersion of MWCNTs in the PTG matrix, the poly(ethylene glycol)‐grafted multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT‐PEG) were produced by the “graft to” method. The transmission electron microscopy observation demonstrated that a homogeneous dispersion of MWCNT‐PEG was obtained. As a consequence, the percolation threshold for the rheology was around 0.5 wt% and the conductivity was ～1 wt%, respectively. Differential scanning calorimetry and polarized optical microscopy results confirmed that MWCNT‐PEG can act as an effective heterogeneous nucleating agent. Interestingly, the effects of MWCNT‐PEG on crystallization and melting of the poly(ethylene oxide terephthalate) blocks were more pronounced than on those of the PTT blocks. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2013. © 2012 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Hemocompatibility evaluation of polyurethane film with surface‐grafted poly(ethylene glycol) and carboxymethyl‐chitosan

To improve the hemocompatibility and biocompatibility of polyurethanes (PUs), PU surface was firstly modified by poly(ethylene glycol) PEG through acryloyl chloride and subsequently grafted on carboxymethyl‐chitosan (CMCS). Attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis confirmed that carboxyl‐chitosan was grafted onto PUs surface. The surface properties of unmodified and modified PU films were determined and compared by water contact angle assessment. After PEG and CMCS grafting, the surface energy of the PU film was increased. Furthermore, the hemocompatibility of the modified PU films was systematically evaluated by bovine serum albumin (BSA) adsorption, the dynamic blood clotting test, the platelet adhesion test, and the hemolytic test. It appears that BSA adsorption and platelet adhesion were significantly curtailed for the modified PU films. Therefore, the obtained results showed the modified PU film has better hemocompatibility. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

Surface modification of poly(ethylene terephthalate) film by coating with poly(ethylene glycol)‐grafted polystyrene

The poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)‐grafted styrene (St) copolymer, which was formed as a nanosphere, was used as an agent to modify the surface of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) film. The graft copolymer was dissolved into chloroform and coated onto the PET film by dip–coating method. The coated amount depends on the content ratios of PEG and St, the solution concentration, and the coating cycles. The graft copolymers having a low molecular weight of PEG‐ or St‐rich content was fairly stable on washing in sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) aqueous solution. It was confirmed that the PET surface easily altered its surface property by the coating of the graft copolymers. The contact angles of the films coated with the graft copolymers were very high (ca. 105–120°). The coated film has good antistatic electric property, which agreed with PEG content. The best condition of coating is a one‐cycle coating of 1% (w/v) graft copolymer solution. The coated surface had water‐repellency and antistatic electric property at the same time. The graft copolymer consisted of a PEG macromonomer; St was successfully coated onto PET surfaces, and the desirable properties of both of PEG macromonomer and PSt were exhibited as a novel function of the coated PE film. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 74: 1524–1530, 1999     

Complexation of pepsin poly(ethylene glycol)

Summary Complexation of porcine pepsin (or pepsin A) (EC.3.4.23.1) with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) in an aqueous solution was studied as a function of pH and PEG concentration. The addition of PEG increased the reduced viscosity of the enzyme solution at pH 3 but not at pH 4.5. An increase in pH was observed by mixing both PEG and enzyme solutions which were previously adjusted to pH 3. Under conditions of pH 2.5–3 and 50°C, PEG contributed to an increase in the hydrolyzing activity of pepsin towardN-acetyl-l-phenylalanyl-3,5-diiodo-l-tyrosine. These results indicate that pepsin forms a water-soluble complex with PEG mainly through hydrogen bonds between the carboxyl groups in the enzyme and the ether groups in PEG.     

Effect of poly(ethylene glycol) on the solid‐state polymerization of poly(ethylene terephthalate)

Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and end‐capped poly(ethylene glycol) (poly(ethylene glycol) dimethyl ether (PEGDME)) of number average molecular weight 1000 g mol^?1 was melt blended with poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) oligomer. NMR, DSC and WAXS techniques characterized the structure and morphology of the blends. Both these samples show reduction in T_g and similar crystallization behavior. Solid‐state polymerization (SSP) was performed on these blend samples using Sb₂O₃ as catalyst under reduced pressure at temperatures below the melting point of the samples. Inherent viscosity data indicate that for the blend sample with PEG there is enhancement of SSP rate, while for the sample with PEGDME the SSP rate is suppressed. NMR data showed that PEG is incorporated into the PET chain, while PEGDME does not react with PET. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry     

Rheological studies of disulfonated poly(arylene ether sulfone) plasticized with poly(ethylene glycol) for membrane formation

Disulfonated poly(arylene ether sulfone) (BPS) random copolymers, prepared from a sulfonated monomer, have been considered for use as membrane materials for various applications in water purification and power generation. These membranes can be melt-processed to avoid the use of hazardous solvent-based processes with the aid of a plasticizer, a low molecular weight poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG). PEG was used to modify the glass transition temperature and melt rheology of BPS to enable coextrusion with polypropylene (PP). Our previous paper discussed the miscibility of BPS with PEG and the influence of PEG on the glass transition of BPS. In this study, the rheological properties of disulfonated poly(arylene ether sulfone)s plasticized with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) are investigated to identify coextrusion processing conditions with candidate PPs. The effects of various factors including PEG molecular weight, PEG concentration, temperature and BPS molecular weight on blend viscosity were studied. The rheological data effectively lie on the same master curve developed by Bueche and Harding for non-associating polymers such as poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and polystyrene (PS). Although sulfonated polysulfone contains ionic groups, the form of its viscosity versus shear rate (or frequency) behavior appears to be dominated by the relaxation of polymer entanglements.     

坡缕石/聚乙二醇/丙烯酸水凝胶的表征及其对阳离子染料的吸附性能

采用红外光谱、X射线衍射和扫描电镜对辉光放电电解等离子体引发制备的坡缕石/聚乙二醇/丙烯酸(PGS/PEG/AA)水凝胶的结构和形貌进行了表征.研究了其对阳离子型染料亚甲基蓝、结晶紫、孔雀石绿和罗丹明B的吸附行为,考察了pH值、吸附时间对吸附性能的影响,同时探讨了可能的吸附机理.结果表明,PGS、PEG和AA发生接枝共聚形成水凝胶,组分间相容性好,表面呈现褶皱和深浅不均匀的孔洞;吸附的最佳pH值为6.2左右,吸附时间为3h,吸附动力学符合准二级模型,阳离子染料在PGS/PEG/AA上的吸附是由离子交换、氢键、范德华力等共同作用的物理化学过程.     

Intermolecular interaction in aqueous solution of binary blends of poly(acrylamide) and poly(ethylene glycol)

The interaction between poly(acrylamide) (PAM) and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) in their solid mixture was studied by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR); and their interaction in aqueous solution was investigated by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR). For the solid PAM/PEG mixtures, an induced shift of the >C?O and >N? H in amide group was found by FTIR. These results could demonstrate the formation of intermolecular hydrogen bonding between the amide group of PAM and the ether group of PEG. In the aqueous PAM/PEG solution system, the PAM and PEG associating with each other in water, i.e., the amide group of PAM interacting with the ether group of PEG through hydrogen bonding was also found by ¹H NMR. Furthermore, the effects of different molecular weight of PAM on the strength of hydrogen bonding between PAM and PEG in water were investigated systemically. It was found that the hydrogen bonding interaction between PAM and PEG in water did not increase with the enlargement of the PAM molecular weight as expected. This finding together with the viscosity reduction of aqueous PAM/PEG solution with the PAM molecular weight increasing strongly indicated that PAM molecular chain, especially having high molecular weights preferred to form spherical clews in aqueous PEG solution. Therefore, fewer amide groups in PAM could interact with the ether groups in PEG. Based on these results, a mechanism sketch of the interaction between PAM and PEG in relatively concentrated aqueous solution was proposed. The fact that the phase separation of aqueous PAM/PEG solution occurs while raising the temperature indicates that this kind of hydrogen bonding between PAM and PEG in water is weak and could be broken by controlling the temperature. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Synthesis and Characterization of Poly(ethylene glycol) grafted Poly(ε-Caprolactone)

Summary A new graft copolymer, poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) grafted with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), was prepared by one-pot synthesis of ε-caprolactone and modified PEG. Aluminium isopropoxide or potassium tert-butoxide was used as a catalyst for the ring-opening polymerization. Polymerization using potassium tert-butoxide as a catalyst showed very effective graft reaction of PEG onto poly(ε-caprolactone). A slight decrease in the melting temperature was observed with the increase of the PEG graft frequency. Interestingly, considerable changes were observed on the surface property by the introducing PEG side chains compared to that of PCL homopolymer. Measurements of water contact angle showed that the hydrophilic surface of the polymer could be obtained even at a low graft frequency of PEG.     

Radiation grafting of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) fibre,II. Hydrolysis of grafted poly(vinyl acetate) to poly(vinyl alcohol)

Poly(ethylene terephthalate) fibres grafted with poly(vinyl acetate) by γ-radiation were hydrolysed under alkaline and acidic conditions in order to obtain poly(ethylene terephthalate)-graft-poly(vinyl alcohol) fibres. In alkaline media poly(ethylene terephthalate) degraded without appreciable conversion of acetate to hydroxyl groups. During acid hydrolysis no change in tensile properties of the fibres was observed up to an extent of 50% conversion of acetate to hydroxyl groups. Further change in the tensile strength and the elongation at break was attributed partly to the grafted poly(vinyl acetate)/poly(vinyl alcohol) balance and partly to the loss due to degradation of the fibres.     

A novel hydrophobically associating polyampholytes of poly(AM/AA/AMQC12): preparation,characterization, and solution properties

A novel hydrophobically associating polyampholytes of poly(AM/AA/AMQC12) were synthesized by the free radical copolymerization of acrylamide (AM), acrylic acid (AA), and dimethyldodecyl(2-acrylamidoethyl)ammonium bromide (AMQC12) in water without any surfactants (named AAQ series). The structures of polymers were confirmed by ¹H NMR and ¹³C NMR. The molecular weight and polydispersity were obtained using gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The hydrophobically associated properties of polymer solution were characterized by rheology, steady-state fluorescence probe, and ¹H NMR relaxation time (T ₂). Isoelectric points (IEPs) of polymer solution were determined by the effect of pH on viscosity below critical association concentrations (cac), and the reduced viscosities of samples at IEPs were increased in the presence of NaCl. Moreover, the steady-shear viscosity of sample at IEP was also greatly enhanced in NaCl solutions when the polymer concentration is above the cac. Meantime, the storage modulus and the loss modulus of copolymers showed that the sample behaved as gel in salt media.     

The synthesis and characterization of poly(ethylene glycol) grafted on pullulan

The pullulans grafted with poly(ethylene glycol) with different degrees of substitution (DS: 0.02–0.2) are synthesized by reaction of pullulan and poly(ethylene glycol) terminated with carboxylic acid. The structure of the resulting modified pullulans is characterized with ¹H‐NMR and FTIR spectra. The DS of the products increase with the amount of the poly(ethylene glycol) added. The appearances of the products change considerably and the solubility in organic solvent is enhanced visibly. It was found that pullulan derivative is biodegradable. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 91: 1217–1221, 2004