Synthesis,characterization, and photo‐responsive properties of Y‐shaped amphiphilic azo triblock copolymer |
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| Authors: | Renbo Wei Jinyi Ma Hongxing Zhang Yaning He |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Research Branch of Advanced Functional Materials, School of Microelectronics and Solid‐State Electronics, High Temperature Resistant Polymer and Composites, Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China;2. Department of Chemical Engineering, Key Laboratory of Advanced Materials (MOE), Tsinghua University, Beijing, China;3. Sichuan Institute of Piezoelectric and Acoustooptic Technology, Chongqing, China |
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| Abstract: | In this study, we report the synthesis, characterization, and photo‐responsive properties of a new Y‐shaped amphiphilic azo triblock copolymer composed of two isotropic polyethylene glycol (PEG) blocks and an azobenzene liquid crystalline block. The azo block, with two ending groups suitable for the azo coupling reaction, is polymerized by atom transfer radical polymerization with a synthesized initiator containing two functional terminal groups. The macromolecular diazonium salts are prepared by the diazotization of PEG terminated with an amino group. The triblock copolymer is obtained by the azo coupling reaction between the azo block and macromolecular diazonium salts in DMF under mild condition. The intermediates and the obtained triblock copolymer are characterized by 1H NMR, FT‐IR, GPC, POM, DSC, TEM, and UV‐vis. The photoinduced isomerization behavior of the azo copolymer is investigated by UV‐vis. With the addition of water into the solution of the triblock copolymer, spherical aggregates with an average diameter of about 400 nm can be easily obtained. The aggregates are elongated when irradiated with polarized 365 nm UV light. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 43695. |
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| Keywords: | copolymers dyes/pigments liquid crystals stimuli‐sensitive polymers |
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