One-step synthesis of pegylated cationic nanogels of poly(N,N′-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate) in aqueous solution via self-stabilizing micelles using an amphiphilic macroRAFT agent

Cationic nanogels of Pegylated poly(N,N′-Dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate) (PEG-PDAEMA) have been synthesized in aqueous solution by a one-step surfactant-free reversible addition-fragmentation transfer (RAFT) process. A Pegylated amphiphilic macroRAFT agent (mPEG₅₅₀-TTC) with a hydrophobic dodecyl chain was utilized to stabilize the micelles and control the polymerization and crosslinking of DMAEMA in aqueous solution. ¹H NMR, GPC, Elemental analysis, Dynamic light scattering (DLS), Zeta potential and Atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurements confirmed the formation of the cationic nanogels in size of about 20 nm with a narrow distribution. It also revealed that the concentration of monomer and the kinds of crosslinker are the key factors to control the formation of nanogel. This cationic nanogel has potential application in gene delivery.     

Water-soluble polyelectrolyte complexes formed by poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) and poly(sodium acrylate-co-sodium 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulphonate)-graft-poly(N,N-dimethylacrylamide) copolymers

The formation of polyelectrolyte complexes (PECs) between the cationic homopolymer poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDADMAC) and the anionic graft copolymers poly(sodium acrylate-co-sodium 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulphonate)-graft-poly(N,N-dimethylacrylamide) (P(NaA-co-NaAMPS)-g-PDMAM) was studied in aqueous solution in comparison with the PECs formed between PDADMAC and the graft copolymer backbone poly(sodium acrylate-co-sodium 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulphonate). The turbidimetric study of the PECs formed revealed that associative phase separation is prevented when the anionic polyelectrolyte is grafted with the nonionic hydrophilic poly(N,N-dimethylacrylamide) side chains. The PECs are formed through a charge neutralisation process and they adopt a compact structure, as shown by conductivity and viscometry measurements respectively. The water-insoluble PEC core seems to be stabilised by a hydrophilic PDMAM corona, leading to the formation of nanoparticles with a hydrodynamic radius of some decades of nanometers as determined by quasi-elastic light scattering measurements.     

Controlled synthesis and characterizations of amphiphilic poly[(R,S)-3-hydroxybutyrate]-poly(ethylene glycol)-poly[(R,S)-3-hydroxybutyrate] triblock copolymers

Well-defined biodegradable amphiphilic triblock copolymers consisting of atactic poly[(R,S)-3-hydroxybutyrate] (PHB) and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) as the side hydrophobic block and middle hydrophilic block were synthesized via ring opening polymerization of (R,S)-β-butyrolactone from PEG macroinitiators and characterized using NMR, GPC, FT-IR, XRD, DSC and TG analyses. The controlled synthesis was made possible by the facile synthesis of pure PEG macroinitiators through a TEMPO-mediated oxidation. Constituting 40-70 wt% of the copolymer content, PHB blocks grown were amorphous while PEG formed crystalline phase when segment was sufficiently long. While hindering PEG crystallization, atactic PHB mixed well with amorphous PEG to give single T_g in all the copolymers. The copolymers exhibited two-step thermal degradation profile starting with PHB degradation from 210 to 300 °C, then PEG from 350 to 450 °C.     

Brush-type amphiphilic polystyrene-g-poly(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate)) copolymers from ATRP and their self-assembly in selective solvents

A series of well-defined brush-type amphiphilic polystyrene-g-poly(2-(dimethylamino) ethyl methacrylate)) (PS-g-PDMAEMA) copolymers were successfully synthesized via atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP), using chloromethylated polystyrene (CMPS) as the macroinitiator. The self-assembly behavior of the resulting brush-type copolymers in deionized water and deionized water/acetone (v/v=2/3) mixture was studied by high performance particle sizer (HPPS). The results showed that the Z-average size of the micelles in deionized water increased with the increase of molecular weight of PDMAEMA, and the corresponding size was larger than that in mixed solvent of deionized water and acetone (v/v=2/3). The morphologies of the micelles self-assembled from PS-g-PDMAEMA in selective solvents were studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). When the micelles were prepared in water/acetone (v/v=2/3) mixture and cast them on a glass slide at different temperatures (from 50 up to 200 °C), the transformation of the morphologies of aggregates, from needle-like solid to microcubic particles, was observed using SEM.     

pH and salt responsive poly(N,N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate) cylindrical brushes and their quaternized derivatives

We present the synthesis and characterization of poly(N,N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate) (PDMAEMA) cylindrical brushes, their pH responsiveness, and the corresponding quaternized analog, poly{[2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl] trimethylammonium iodide} (PMETAI) brushes. PDMAEMA brushes were prepared by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) using the grafting-from strategy. Initiating efficiencies of the ATRP processes were determined by cleaving the side-chains and gel permeation chromatography (GPC) analysis. Due to the slow initiation and steric hindrance, the initiating efficiency is only around 50%. The PDMAEMA brushes show worm-like structures and pH responsiveness, as proven by dynamic light scattering (DLS), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM) measurements. Strong cationic polyelectrolyte PMETAI brushes were produced by quaternization of the PDMAEMA brushes. AFM and cryo-TEM images showed similar worm-like morphologies for the PMETAI brushes. The PMETAI brushes collapsed in solution with high concentration of monovalent salt, as proven by DLS and AFM results.     

双亲纳米颗粒在选择性溶剂中的自组装行为：耗散粒子动力学模拟

接枝聚合物纳米颗粒在构筑多级功能性纳米材料方面具有很大潜力,但其在选择性溶剂中自组装相图却鲜见报道。利用耗散粒子动力学模拟研究了溶剂选择性、接枝聚合物链长度以及亲水、疏水聚合物链比例等因素对双亲纳米颗粒自组装行为的影响,并绘制了自组装形态相图。结果显示,随着浓度的增大,双亲纳米颗粒逐渐自组装成球状、棒状、二维膜、纳米膜孔等丰富纳米结构。不仅如此,溶剂与亲水、疏水聚合物相容性差异较小时（a_S-HL=40k_BT/R_c,a_S-HB=50k_BT/R_c）,双亲纳米颗粒自组装形成层状纳米结构,在较高浓度时,形成规则的多孔网络结构。研究发现,双亲纳米颗粒浓度和接枝聚合物的链长以及亲水、疏水聚合物链比例是调控双亲纳米颗粒自组装形态的关键因素。鉴于双亲纳米颗粒丰富的自组装行为,它在气体分离、检测、载药、催化剂载体等领域有着很大的潜在应用价值。     

含磷酸钠基的SBS两亲离聚体的合成、表征及性质

环氧化SBS在甲苯中与磷酸氢二钠水溶液,以N,N-二甲基苯胺及四乙基溴化铵为催化剂,通过开环反应合成了含磷酸二钠基的两亲性SBS离聚体。离聚体采用FTIR进行表征。研究了开环反应条件及该离聚体的乳化性、吸水性、耐油性和稀溶液粘度。结果表明开环率可以达到32%,该离聚体具有很好的乳化性、明显的吸水性和耐油性,其乳化性、吸水性、耐油性及稀溶液粘度随离子含量增加而增大,随一价阳离子的离子电位增加而增加。     

Synthesis and characterization of amphiphilic polyisobutylene/poly(ethylene glycol) di- and triblock copolymers

Summary Di- and triblock copolymers of polyisobutylene PIB and poly(ethylene glycol) PEG have been prepared and characterized. The syntheses involved the capping with tolylene 2,4-diisocyanate TDI various molecular weight -phenyl--(p-phenol) polyisobutylenes C₆H₅-PIB-C₆H₄OH and ,-di-(p-phenol)polyisobutylenes HOC₆H₄-PIB-C₆H₄OH, or commercially available mono- and di-hydroxyl-terminated PEGs. In this manner a series of PIB-b-PEG diblock copolymers, and PEG-b-PIB-b-PEG and PIB-b-PEG-b-PIB triblock copolymers have been obtained. The complete removal of the prepolymers from these amphiphilic sequential copolymers by conventional solvent extraction techniques could not be achieved because of the very high emulsifying action of the latters. In contrast, satisfactory separation was obtained by column chromatography using mixed (polar/nonpolar) eluents. The blocking efficiencies and composition of the block copolymers have been determined.Part XL V of the Series on New Telechelic Polymers and Sequential Copolymers by Polyfunctional Initiator-Transfer Agents (Inifers).     

Effects of micelle structures formed in selective solvents on crystallization behaviors of poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(styrene) copolymers

Well-defined amphiphilic block copolymers, poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether-b-poly(styrene) (mPEG-b-PS), in which the PS blocks had different molecular weights, were synthesized by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). Through introduction of selective solvents for the blocks, crystalline and amorphous blocks were self-assembled into different micelle structures in solutions. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to characterize the micelle structures. It was observed that spherical micelles were always formed, whereas lamellar aggregates appeared only in the PS-selective solvent when the molecular weight of the PS block in mPEG-b-PS was low. The crystallizable mPEG blocks were self-assembled into either the core or corona of the micelles formed. The effects of the self-assembled structures on the crystallization behavior of mPEG blocks were then investigated with differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). When the PS molecular weight was much larger than that of mPEG, the result showed that the crystallinity of the mPEG block was lower when mPEG blocks crystallized in the corona than that in the core of the micelles. In this case, when mPEG blocks crystallized in micelle coronae, the micelle core formed by insoluble PS blocks was very big, so mPEG chains had to distribute sparsely in the micelle coronae. It was hard for mPEG chains in one micelle or among different micelles to gather together to crystallize. However, when the PS molecular weight was lower than that of mPEG, the crystallinity of mPEG was higher when the mPEG chains crystallized in the micelle corona, as the core formed by insoluble PS was small and the mPEG chains in the corona were easy to aggregate and crystallize.     

Self-assembly, drug-delivery behavior, and cytotoxicity evaluation of amphiphilic chitosan-graft-poly(1,4-dioxan-2-one) copolymers

Allyl glycidyl ether (AGE)-functionalized chitosan (CS-AGE), a macromolecular crosslinker, was synthesized and then copolymerized with N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm) monomer under UV irradiation to produce hydrogels. The allylated chitosan and the resulting hydrogels were characterized by ¹?H NMR and FT IR, respectively. The interior morphologies of the hydrogels were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) after freeze drying them in the equilibrium state in buffer solution at pH 2.0. Their swelling kinetics were found to be sensitive to both temperature and pH, so it was possible to modulate the swelling by adjusting the pH or the temperature of the medium containing the hydrogel and the proportion of the CS derivative with respect to the NIPAAm monomer. Rheological measurements were utilized to investigate the mechanical properties of the hydrogels. The in vitro release profiles of the model drugs methyl orange (MO) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) from the hydrogels were also examined. The results revealed that the drug release rate could be tuned by adjusting the pH of the medium and the hydrogel composition.     

Main-chain sulphur containing water soluble poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-N,N′-dimethylacrylamide sulphide) copolymers via interfacial polycondensation

Here, we report the first synthesis of water soluble poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-N,N′-dimethylacrylamide sulfide) copolymers via conventional interfacial polycondensation method using phase transfer catalyst (PTC). The effect of various kinds of PTC having different aliphatic chain length and counter ion were employed to examine the kinetics of polysulfide polymer formation. The reactivity ratios, determined employing extended Kelene–Tüdös method using feed composition obtained from ¹H NMR analysis, suggest that N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) is more reactive than N,N′-dimethylacrylamide (DMA) in both mono- and di-sulfide polymers. Thermal transition behavior investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) demonstrated that as the sulphur rank of the sulfide main chain linkages increased, the flexibility of the polymers increased reflected by lower glass transition temperature (T_g) values. The thermal degradation behavior and the major degradation products have been characterized by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and electron-impact mass spectroscopy (EI-MS), respectively. Both the studies reveal that the degradation takes place due to weak-link scission of the polymeric main chain. Solubility in water and in most of the common organic solvents even after the sulphur rank increased from 1 to 2 in the main chain, is expected to render potential applications in biological field as well as in industry for these interesting new class of polymers.     

Nonlinear stress relaxation in palladium(II) complexes with triblock copolymers of styrene and butadiene

Above 200% strain, the mechanical response of triblock copolymers which contain styrene and butadiene is modified significantly by complexation with dichlorobis(acetonitrile)palladium(II). This pseudosquare‐planar transition metal salt forms π‐complexes with, and catalyzes the dimerization of, alkene groups in the main chain and the side group of Kraton's butadiene midblock. Between 10 and 100% strain, the plastic flow regime is similar for undiluted Kraton? and its Pd²⁺ complexes, but the level of engineering stress is approximately twofold larger for the complex that contains 4 mol % palladium(II) [Pd(II)]. Nonlinear stress relaxation measurements in the plastic flow regime (i.e., beyond the yield point but before the large upturn in stress) are analyzed at several different levels of strain. Transient relaxation moduli were modeled by a three‐parameter biexponential decay with two viscoelastic time constants. The longer relaxation time for Kraton? increases at higher strain, and in the presence of 4 mol % palladium chloride. A phenomenological model is proposed to describe the effect of strain on relaxation times. This model is consistent with the fact that greater length scales are required for cooperative segmental reorganization at larger strain. The resistance Ω to conformational reorganization during stress relaxation is estimated via integration of the normalized relaxation modulus versus time data. This resistance increases at higher initial jump strain because conformational rearrangements are influenced strongly by knots and entanglements at larger strain. The effect of strain on Ω is analyzed in terms of time‐strain separability of the relaxation modulus. Linear behavior is observed for Ω versus inverse strain (i.e., 1/ε), and the magnitude of the slope [i.e., ?dΩ/d(1/ε)] is threefold larger in the absence of PdCl₂(CH₃CN)₂. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 93: 1329–1336, 2004     

Aggregation behaviour of well defined amphiphilic diblock copolymers with poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) and hydrophobic blocks

Series of amphiphilic diblock copolymers with poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) as a hydrophilic block and a hydrophobic block consisting of either polystyrene or poly(tert-butyl methacrylate) were synthesised using RAFT polymerisations. Differential scanning calorimetry showed the chemically different blocks being phase separated in dry polymers. Light scattering and microcalorimetry studies were performed on aqueous solutions to investigate the phase behavior of the diblock copolymers. By carefully transferring the polymers from an organic solvent to water, either micellar particles or large aggregates were obtained depending on the relative lengths of the blocks. Large aggregates collapsed upon heating, whereas collapse occurred slowly within a broad temperature range in the case of micelle like structures. However, microcalorimetrically the collapse of the PNIPAM chains was observed to take place in all samples, suggesting that the shells of the micellar particles are crowded in a way which hinders the compression of the poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) chains.     

Self-assembly of pH-responsive and fluorescent comb-like amphiphilic copolymers in aqueous media

“Comb-like” graft copolymers, consisting of a poly((N-vinylcarbazole)-co-(4-vinylbenzyl chloride)) (P(NVK-co-VBC)) copolymer backbone from free radical polymerization and poly(((2-dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate)-co-(tert-butyl acrylate)) (P(DMAEMA-co-tBA)) side chains from atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP), were hydrolyzed to produce the acrylic acid (AAc)-containing “comb-like” graft copolymers of P(NVK-co-VBC)-comb-P(DMAEMA-co-AAc). The amphiphilic copolymers possess a fluorescent hydrophobic P(NVK-co-VBC) backbone and pH-sensitive hydrophilic P(DMAEMA-co-AAc) side chains. Arising from acid-base interaction of the hydrophilic side chains, the copolymers can self-assemble into pH-responsive fluorescent and multi-walled hollow vesicles of well-defined morphology in aqueous media. The size and layered wall thickness of the vesicles are also dependent on the length of the copolymer side chains, while the number of wall layers is dependent on the concentration of the vesicles in the aqueous media. In comparison, a N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm)-containing comb-like amphiphilic copolymer (P(NVK-co-VBC)-comb-P(NIPAAm-co-DMAEMA)) of similar structure, albeit with non-interacting hydropholic side chains, self-assembles only into temperature and pH-responsive single-shelled hollow nanoparticles in aqueous media.     

Synthesis of amphiphilic rod-coil ABC triblock copolymers with oligo(para-phenyleneethynylene) as the middle rigid block

An amphiphilic rod-coil ABC triblock copolymers using rigid oligo(para-phenyleneethynylene) (OPE) as the middle rod segment, poly(ethylene oxide)-block-oligo(para-phenyleneethynylene)-block-polystyrene (PEO-b-OPE-b-PS), was designed and successfully synthesized. In the synthetic route, a kind of macroinitiator, PEO-b-OPE-Br was achieved by stepwise coupling of iodo-terminated poly(ethylene oxide) and oligo(para-phenyleneethynylene) with amino end group, capping with 2-bromopropionyl bromide. Subsequently, from this macroinitiator atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of styrene was performed to obtain PEO-b-OPE-b-PS. The resulting copolymers were characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). All these novel copolymers were affirmed to have well-defined structures and narrow molecular weight distributions.     

Preparation and properties of amphiphilic AB2 Y-shaped poly(styrene)-poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)2 copolymers through selective amidation and Michael additions reactions

Amphiphilic AB₂ Y-shaped poly(styrene)-poly(N-isopropylacryamide)₂ block copolymer (PS-(PNIPAAm)₂) is prepared through selective amidation and Michael additions reactions, using ω-amino PS and ω-amino PNIPAAm chains as arms and 5-maleimidoisophthalic acid (MIPA) as a core. The first step is end-capping PS chains with MIPA via the Michael addition reaction between the amino groups of ω-amino PS and the maleimide group of MIPA. Incorporation of two PNIPAAm chains to PS-MIPA chain ends via amidation reaction between the amino groups of ω-amino PNIPAAm and the carboxylic acid groups of PS-MIPA result in amphiphilic AB₂ Y-shaped PS-(PNIPAAm)₂ block copolymer. The amphiphilic PS-(PNIPAAm)₂ block copolymer forms nanoparticles in aqueous solution, which exhibit a temperature-responsive characteristic due to the presence of PNIPAAm chains. The applications of the polymeric nanoparticles as fluorophore carriers and fluorescent sensors are also studied.     

Synthesis of boronate-containing copolymers of N,N-dimethylacrylamide, their interaction with poly(vinyl alcohol) and rheological behaviour of the gels

Cross-linking of polyvinylalcohol (PVA) by boronate-containing copolymer of N,N-dimethylacrylamide (DMAA, 1) was studied and compared to cross-linking of PVA by borate buffers in weakly alkaline solutions. The copolymer of M_w=19,000 g mol⁻¹ containing 9 mol% N-acryloyl-m-aminophenylboronic acid (NAAPBA, 2) was prepared by free radical polymerization of the monomers, exhibiting copolymerization constants r₁=0.84 and r₂=2.2. Due to multipoint interaction of the copolymer with PVA via monodiols, the intermolecular cross-linking required for seven-fold and 10-fold lower boron concentrations as compared to borate buffers of pH 8.6 and 7.5, respectively. In rheological measurements, PVA-copolymer gels exhibited storage moduli (G′_max) comparable to those of PVA-borate gels prepared at 7.5-fold higher boron concentration and the same pH 8.6, what testified to the similar concentration of cross-links in the gels. Therefore, DMAA-NAAPBA copolymer is a more effective cross-linker of PVA than borate. The PVA-copolymer gel exhibited much higher relaxation time (97 s) compared to PVA-borate gels (≤20 s) indicating a longer lifetime of junction zones. The ‘shape stability’ of the gel is suggested to originate in the structure of junctions, containing several boronate-diol complexes, between the macromolecules of PVA and the copolymer.     

Poly(N-tert-butyl acrylamide-b-N-acryloylmorpholine) amphiphilic block copolymers via RAFT polymerization: Synthesis, purification and characterization

Amphiphilic block copolymers consisting of two poly(acrylamide) derivative blocks have been synthesized via the reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization process with a hydrophobic block, poly(N-tert-butyl acrylamide), poly(TBAm), and a non-ionic hydrophilic one, poly(N-acryloylmorpholine), poly(NAM). Both polymerization orders, poly(TBAm-b-NAM) and poly(NAM-b-TBAm), were compared in terms of conversion and control over molecular weights (MW). Purification of the block copolymers was carried out via several methods in order to optimize their subsequent characterization. ¹H NMR analysis resulted in an accurate determination of the second block MW whereas determination of the CMC by the pendant drop method confirmed the ability of the poly(TBAm-b-NAM) block copolymers to self-assemble into micelles in aqueous phase.     

Synthesis and characterization of biodegradable amphiphilic triblock copolymers methoxy-poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(L-lysine)-b-poly(L-lactic acid)

Starting from MPEG-NH₂, a series of amphiphilic triblock copolymers MPEG-b-PLL-b-PLA were synthesized through PEG-NH₂-initiated ring-open polymerization of N ^ε-benzyloxycarbonyl-L-lysine, followed by acylation coupling between the amino-terminated MPEG-b-PZLL-NH₂ and carboxyl-terminal PLA and the deprotection of amines. The block copolymers were characterized by FT-IR, ¹H NMR, GPC, DSC and TEM. The copolymer functional groups, molecular and block structures were verified by FT-IR, ¹H NMR and DSC, respectively. The GPC results indicate that the chain lengths of each block can be controlled by varying the feed ratios of the monomer and initiator, providing the polymer samples with a narrow molecular weight distribution (M _w /M _n = 1.10 ~ 1.25). The TEM analysis shows that the triblock polymers can self-assemble into polymeric micelles in aqueous solution with spherical morphology. The cell-cytotoxicity assay indicates that the triblock polymers show no obvious cytotoxicity against Bel7402 human hepatoma cells.     

Role of intermolecular interaction between hydrophobic blocks in block-selected inclusion complexation of amphiphilic poly(ethylene oxide)-poly[(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate]-poly(ethylene oxide) triblock copolymers with cyclodextrins

The influence of hydrophobic interaction between poly[(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate] blocks on block-selected inclusion complexation between amphiphilic poly(ethylene oxide)-poly[(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate]-poly(ethylene oxide)) (PEO-PHB-PEO) triblock copolymers and α-cyclodextrin (α-CD) or γ-cyclodextrin (γ-CD) was studied by X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), FTIR and ¹H NMR. Due to the stronger hydrophobic interaction at higher temperature, the amphiphilic triblock copolymer tends to aggregate to form tighter core-shell sphere with PHB block in the core and PEO in the corona. Therefore, the CD threaded onto PEO blocks cannot further slide onto the PHB block, which resulted in a highly block-selected inclusion complex formation. Moreover, the DSC results indicated that the triblock copolymer coalesced from its ICs with hot water showed an increase in microphase separation compared with the as-synthesized triblock copolymer, which further supports our hypothesis that CD only selectively includes PEO blocks of the triblock copolymer at higher temperature.