Y-shaped block copolymers of poly(ethylene glycol) and poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) synthesized by ATRP

Novel Y-shaped block copolymers of poly（ethylene glycol） and poly（N-isopropylacrylamide）, PEG-b-（PNIPAM）2, were successfully synthesized through atom transfer radical polymerization （ATRP）. A difunctional macroinitiator was prepared by esterification of 2,2-dichloroacetyl chloride with poly（ethylene glycol） monomethyl ether （PEG）. The copolymers were obtained via the ATRP ofN-isopropylacrylamide （NIPAM） at 30℃ with CuCl/Me6TREN as a catalyst system and DMF/H2O （v/v = 3：1） mixture as solvent. The resulting copolymers were characterized by gel permeation chromatography （GPC） and ^1H NMR. These block copolymers show controllable molecular weights and narrow molecular weight distributions （PDI 〈 1.15）. Their phase transition temperatures and the corresponding enthalpy changes in aqueous solution were measured by differential scanning calorimetry （DSC）. As a result, the phase transition temperature of PEG45-b-（PNIPAM55）2 is higher than that of PNIPAM, however, the corresponding enthalpy change is much lower, indicating the significant influence of the macromolecular composition and architecture on the phase transition.

Selective swelling of polysulfone/poly(ethylene glycol) block copolymer towards fouling-resistant ultrafiltration membranes

Fouling resistance of ultrafiltration(UF) membranes is critical for their long-term usages in terms of stable performance, so convenient approaches to prepare fouling-resistant membranes are always anticipated. Herein, we demonstrate the facile fabrication of antifouling polysulfone-block-poly(ethylene glycol)(PSF-b-PEG, SFEG)composite membranes. SFEG layer was coated onto macroporous supports and cavitated by immerging them in acetone/n-propanol following the mechanism of selective swelling induced pore generation. Thus-produced SFEG membranes possessed high permeance and excellent mechanical strength. Meanwhile, the structures and separation performances of the SFEG layers can be continuously tuned through simply changing swelling durations. More importantly, the hydrophilic PEG chains were spontaneously enriched onto the pore walls through swelling treatment, endowing intrinsic antifouling property to the SFEG membranes. Bovine serum albumin(BSA)/humic acid(HA) fouling tests proved the prominent fouling resistance of SFEG membranes, and the fouling resistance is expected to be long-standing because of the firm connection between PEG chains and PSF matrix by covalent bonding.

Synthesis and characterization of poly(phthalazinone ether nitrile) (PPEN)-polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) block copolymers

Block copolymers with different backbone compositions have been prepared by the condensation of dimethylamino terminated poly（dimethylsiloxane） （PDMS） and hydroquinone terminated poly（phthalazinone ether nitrile） （PPEN） in the presence of chlorobenzcne/N-methyl pyrrolidone （NMP） as solvents. The products were characterized by FTIR, ^1H NMR and gel permeation chromatography. Differential scanning calorimetry analysis indicated that the block copolymers showed separated microphase.

PREPARATION OF HIGH DENSITY POLYETHYLENE/POLYETHYLENE-BLOCK-POLY(ETHYLENE GLYCOL)COPOLYMER BLEND POROUS MEMBRANES VIA THERMALLY INDUCED PHASE SEPARATION PROCESS AND THEIR PROPERTIES

High density polyethylene （HDPE）/polyethylene-block-poly（ethylene glycol） （PE-b-PEG） blend porous membranes were prepared via thermally induced phase separation （TIPS） process using diphenyl ether （DPE） as diluent. The phase diagrams of HDPE/PE-b-PEG/DPE systems were determined by optical microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry （DSC）. By varying the content of PE-b-PEG, the effects of PE-b-PEG copolymer on morphology and crystalline structure of membranes were studied by scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and wide angle X-ray diffraction （WAXD）. The chemical compositions of whole membranes and surface layers were characterized by elementary analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy-attenuated total reflection （FTIR-ATR） and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS）. Water contact angle, static protein adsorption and water flux experiments were used to evaluate the hydrophilicity, antifouling and water permeation properties of the membranes. It was found that the addition of PE-b-PEG increased the pore size of the obtained blend membranes. In the investigated range of PE-b-PEG content, the PEG blocks could not aggregate into obviously separated domains in membrane matrix. More importantly, PE-b-PEG could not only be retained stably in the membrane matrix during membrane formation, but also enrich at the membrane surface layer. Such stability and surface enrichment of PE-b-PEG endowed the blend membranes with improved hydrophilicity, protein absorption resistance and water permeation properties, which would be substantially beneficial to HDPE membranes for water treatment application.

Fabrication of Microspheres Based on Poly(4-butyltriphenylamine) Blends with Poly(methyl methacrylate) and Block Copolymer by Solvent Evaporation Method

Micron-sized polymer particles from single poly(4-butyltriphenylamine) (PBTPA) homopolymer, binary polymer blend [PBTPA/poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)], and ternary polymer blend (PBTPA/PBTPA-b-PMMA/PMMA) via a solvent evaporation method, and the surface morphologies and inside structure of resulting particles were investigated. Spherical homopolymer particles with smooth surface were resulted from PBTPA with low molecular weight. In the case of binary blends (PBTPA/PMMA = 1/1), Janus (low molecular weight) and dumbbell (high molecular weight) type morphologies were observed. The particles based on ternary blends containing PBTPA-b-PMMA showed core-shell type morphologies (PMMA;core, PBTPA;shell). Degree of engulfment of PMMArich domain increased with the content of the block copolymer. The decrease of domain size was not observed although the block copolymer had a suitable structure as a compatibilizer for the blend. It was also found that the initial concentration of polymer solution had an effect on the final morphology.

POLYCAPROLACTONE-POLY (ETHYLENE GLYCOL) BLOCK COPOLYMER Ⅲ DRUG RELEASE BEHAVIOR

The drug release behavior of degradable polymer--polycaprolactone-poly (ethyleneglycol)block copolymer(PCE) in vitro was investigated by using 5-Fluoro-uracil (5-Fu) asa model drug under a condition of pH 7. 4 at 37C. It is found that the release rate of 5-Fufrom PCE increased with increasing polyether content of the copolymer. The results showthat the increasing polyether content of the copolymer caused increasing hydrophilicity anddecreasing crystallinity of the PCE copolymer. Thus, the drug release behavior and thedegradable property of the PCE can be controlled by adjusting the composition of thecopolymer.

Synthesis and Characterization of ABBA Block Copolymer of Glycolide and ε-Caprolactone

A biodegradable ABBA block copolymer was synthesized via the ring-opening co-polymerization of ~ε-caprolactone(CL, B) and glycolide(A) by means of step polymerization in the presence of ethylene glycol as an initiator and stannous octanoate as a catalyst at 110 ℃ for 48 h. The molecular length of the PCL pre-polymer(BB) could be adjusted by controlling the molar ratio of the ethylene glycol initiator to ε-caprolactone monomer. The structure and the composition of the block copolymer were determined by the weight ratio of the monomer glycolide(A) to PCL pre-polymer(BB). The block copolymers were characterized by ~ 1H NMR, GPC, DSC and X-ray. The results confirm the successful synthesis of an ABBA block copolymer.

DETERMINATION OFTHE CRYSTALLINITY IN DIFFERENT TYPE POLY (OXYETHYLENE-STYRENE)BLOCK COPOLYMERS BY X-RAY DIFFRACTION METHOD

By means of the intensity theory of X-ray scattering and the two-phase concept of high polymer, the basic formula of the crystaUinity in block copolymers has been proposed after the corrections of atomic, temperature, absorption, Lorentz and polarization factor. Application of this method to different type poly (oxyethylene-styrene)block copolymers and the same type block copolymers with different EO contents indicates that the crystallinity in poly (oxyethylene-styrene ) block copolymers increases with the increase of the EO content and decreases in the order: PEO-PS-PEO>PEO-PS>PS-PEO-PS.

SYNTHESIS OF NOVEL BLOCK COPOLYMERS OF POLY(3-HYDROXYBUTYRIC ACID)WITH POLY(ETHYLENE GLYCOL)THROUGH ANIONIC POLYMERISATION

A novel kind of copolymer with ABA-type block structure was synthesized by anionic ring-opening polymerization of beta-butyrolactone (beta-BL) in the presence of a PEG-based dicarboxylates as macroinitiators which were prepared by the esterification of aliphatic cyclic anhydride and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) oligomers (M-n = 2000, 4000 and 6000) and conversion of potassium dicarboxylates. The resultant copolymers as well as the intermediates were characterized by IR, H-1-NMR and GPC.

SYNTHESIS OF POLY(ETHYLENE TEREPHTHALATE)-POLYCAPROLACTONE BLOCK COPOLYMER BY DIRECT COPOLYMERIZATION

Po ly(ethylene terephthalate)-polycaprolactone block copolymer (PCL-b-PET) is a polyester with improved biodegradability. In the present paper, a new direct copolymerization method of epsilon-caprolactone (epsilon-CL) and bishydroxyethylene terephthalate (BHET) in the presence of Ti(OBu)(4) was proposed for the synthesis of PCL-b-PET. The PCL-b-PET copolymer was characterized by IR, GPC and H-1-NMR techniques, and the effects of synthesis conditions, such as temperature, reaction time and concentration of catalyst on the copolymerization were discussed.

Blood Compatibility of Amphiphilic Poly(N-α-acrylamide-L-lysine-<i>b</i>-dimethylsiloxane) Block Copolymers

Amphiphilic block copolymers poly(LysAA-b-DMS) consisting of a hydrophilic poly(N-α-acrylamide-L-lysine) [poly(LysAA)] segment with different molecular weights and a hydrophobic polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) segment were prepared as follows. The precursor copolymer poly(Boc-LysAA-OtBu-b-PDMS) was obtained from radical polymerization of N-α-acrylamide-N-ε-tert-butoxycarbonyl-L-lysine-tert-butylester (Boc-LysAA-OtBu) initiated with 4,4’-azobis(polydimethylsiloxane 4-cyanopentanoate) (azo-PDMS) with the molecular weight of PDMS Mw = 4.3 × 103 in the presence of 2-mercaptoethanol (2-ME) as a chain-transfer agent. Removal of the protecting groups of the precursor copolymer was carried out in 80% trifluoroacetic acid aqueous solution to give poly(LysAA-b-DMS)-1-3. The weight average molecular weight of poly(LysAA-b-DMS)-1-3 was Mw = 1.02 × 104 – 2.52 × 104. From the 1H-NMR and fluorescence spectra measurements, poly(LysAA-b-DMS)-1-3 was determined to self-organize and form core-shell micelles in water. The critical micelle concentration (CMC) increased to 1000 - 4000 mg·L–1 with increasing molar ratio of the poly(LysAA) segment from 0.42 to 0.65. From morphological analysis with a scanning probe microscope (SPM), poly(LysAA-b-DMS) has microphase-separated structures made up of hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions with the domain size ranging from several tens to several hundreds of nanometers. Inhibition of thrombin activity of poly(LysAA-b-DMS) was evaluated from the Michaelis constant (KM) and catalytic activity (kcat) for the enzymatic reaction of thrombin and synthetic substrate S-2238 in the presence of poly(LysAA-b-DMS). The KM and kcat were 0.10 - 0.11 mM and 4.04 × 105 – 4.26 × 105 min–1, respectively. Fibrinolytic activity was also verified from the transformation of plasminogen to plasmin by tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) using synthetic substrate S-2251 in the presence of poly(LysAA-b-DMS). The KM and kcat were 0.07 mM and 5.73 × 106 –5.95 × 106 min–1, respectively.

Preparation and characterization of biodegradable nanoparticles from methoxy poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(D,L-lactide)block copolymers as novel drug carriers

Methoxy poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(D,L-lactide) block copolymers (PEG-PLA) were prepared through ring-opening polymerization.The oil in water suspension method was used to prepare block copolymer micelles. The critical micelle concentration (CMC) by fluorescence spectroscopy was 0.0056 mg·ml -1 . The physical state of the inner core region of micelles was characterized with 1HNMR. The size of indomethacin (IMC) loaded micelles measured by dynamic light scattering (DLS) showed narrow monodisperse size distribution and the average diameters were less than 50 nm. In addition, the nanoparticles with relatively high drug loading content (DLC) were obtained.

Preparation and Characterization of Copolymer Micelles Formed by Poly(ethylene glycol)-Polylactide Block Copolymers as Novel Drug Carriers

Diblock copolymer poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether–polylactide (MePEG–PLA) micelles were prepared by dialysis against water. Indomethacin (IMC) as a model drug was entrapped into the micelles by dialysis method. The critical micelle concentration (CMC) of the prepared micelles in distilled water investigated by fluorescence spectroscopy was 0.0051 mg/mL which is lower than that of common low molecular weight surfactants. The diameters of MePEGPLA micelles and IMC loaded MePEGPLA micelles in a number-averaged scale measured by dynamic light scattering were 52.4 and 53.7 nm respectively. The observation with transmission electron microscope and scanning electron microscope showed that the appearance of MePEGPLA micelles was in a spherical shape. The content of IMC incorporated in the core portion of the micelles was 18% (ω). The effects of the synthesis method of the copolymer on the polydispersity of the micelles and the yield of the micelles formation were discussed.

NANOSTRUCTURES OF FUNCTIONAL BLOCK COPOLYMERS

Nanostructure fabrication from block copolymers in my group normally involves polymer design, synthesis, self-assembly, selective domain crosslinking, and sometimes selective domain removal. Preparation of thin films withnanochannels was used to illustrate the strategy we took. In this particular case, a linear triblock copolymer polyisoprenc-block-poly(2-cinnamoylethyl methacrylate)-block-poly(t-butyl acrylate), PI-b-PCEMA-b-PtBA, was used. Films, 25 to50 μm thick, were prepared from casting on glass slides a toluene solution of PI-b-PCEMA-b-PtBA and PtBA homopolymer,hPtBA, where hPtBA is shorter than the PtBA block. At the hPtBA mass faction of 20% relative to the triblock or the totalPtBA (hPtBA and PtBA block) volume fraction of 0.44, hPtBA and PtBA formed a seemingly continuous phase in the matrixof PCEMA and Pl. Such a block segregation pattern was locked in by photocrosslinking the PCEMA domain. Nanochannelswere formed by extracting out hPtBA with solvent. Alternatively. larger channels were obtained from extracting out hPtBAand hydrolyzing the t-butyl groups of the PtBA block. Such membranes were not liquid permeable but had gas permeabilityconstants ～6 orders of magnitude higher than that of low-density polyethylene films.

Sulfonated fluorinated multi-block copolymer hybrid containing sulfonated(poly ether ether ketone) and graphene oxide: A ternary hybrid membrane architecture for electrolyte applications in proton exchange membrane fuel cells

A ternary hybrid membrane architecture consisting of sulfonated fluorinated multi-block copolymer （SFMC）, sulfonated （poly ether ether ketone） （SPEEK） and I or 5 wt% graphene oxide （GO） was fabricated through a facile solution casting approach. The simple, but effective monomer sulfonation was performed for SFMC to create compact and rigid hydrophobic backbone structures, while conventional random sulfonation was carried-out for SPEEK. Hydrophilic-hydrophobic-hydrophilic structure of SFMC enhances the compatibility with SPEEK and GO and allows for an unprecedented approach to alter me- chanical strength and proton conductivity of ternary hybrid membrane, as verified from universal test machine （UTM） curves and alternating current （AC） impedance plots. The impact of GO integration on the morphology and roughness of hybrid membrane was scrutinized using field emission scanning electron microscope （FE-SEM） and atomic force microscope （AFM）. Ternary hybrid showed uniform intercalation of GO nanosheets throughout the entire surface of membrane with an increased surface roughness of 8.91 nm. The constructed ternary hybrid membrane revealed excellent water absorption, ion exchange capacity and gas barrier properties, while retaining reasonable dimensional stability. The well-optimized ternary hybrid membrane containing 5 wt% GO revealed a maximum proton conductivity of 111.9 mS/cm, which is higher by a factor of two-fold with respect to that of bare SFMC membrane. The maximum PEMFC power density of 528.07mW/cm2 was yielded by ternary hybrid membrane at a load current density of 1321.1 mA/cm2 when operating the cell at 70 ℃ under 100% relative humidity （RH）. In comparison, a maximum power density of only 182.06 mW/cm2 was exhibited by the bare SFMC membrane at a load current density of 455.56 mA/cm2 under same operating conditions.

Block Copolymer Solid Electrolytes Based on Comb-Like Poly(ethylene glycol)Plasticized Poly(ionic liquid)s for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Electrolytes based on poly(ionic liquid)s(PILs)have attracted great attention in the fields of next-generation solid lithium-ion batteries.However,the low ionic conductivity prevents their practical applications.Herein,we report novel solid electrolytes based on block copolymers composed of PILs and comb-like poly(ethylene glycol)(PEG),which were synthesized via ring-opening metathesis polymerization of 3-(2-(bicyclo[2.2.1]hept-5-en-2-yl)ethyl)-1-butyl-1H-imidazol-3-ium bis((trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl)amide and poly(ethylene glycol monomethyl ether)bicyclo[2.2.1]hept-5-ene-2-carboxylate.Comb-like PEG acts as plasticizers in block copolymers dominated by PILs to promote the mobility of PILs segments.Effects of the copolymer composition and length of the comb-like PEG chain on ionic conductivity were investigated.The optimized electrolyte delivers the highest ionic conductivity of 1.5×10^(–5)S·cm^(–1)at 30℃,and robust electrochemical stability up to 4.6 V.A solid-state Li/LiFePO4 cell using the optimized electrolyte demonstrates good cycle performance at 0.2 C with high capacity retention of 92%after 70 cycles at 50℃.

碘转移本体聚合制备PS-b-PBA-b-PS共聚物:聚合动力学、结构和性能

以碘仿为链转移剂、偶氮类化合物为引发剂,通过碘转移本体聚合合成碘封端聚丙烯酸丁酯(I-PBA-I),并以其调节苯乙烯扩链聚合,制得聚苯乙烯-b-聚丙烯酸丁酯-b-聚苯乙烯(PS-b-PBA-b-PS)共聚物,研究了聚合动力学、共聚物结构和性能。发现丙烯酸丁酯均聚和苯乙烯扩链聚合均符合活性自由基聚合特征,反应初始BA与CHI3物质的量比n_(BA,0)/n_(CHI3,0)从100/1增至1 000/1时,I-PBA-I数均分子量由15 000增大到134 500;以数均分子量为28 400的I-PBA-I为大分子链转移剂,反应初始BA与St物质的量比n_(BA,0)/n_(St,0)为1/1、1/2、1/3和1/4时扩链得到数均分子量分别为46 000、69 000、97 500、127 000的PS-b-PBA-b-PS共聚物;嵌段共聚物微相分离,在增韧的同时保持一定的透光率,PS与PBA物质的量比n_(PS)/n_(PBA)为3.85/1的嵌段共聚物抗冲强度与商品化阴离子活性聚合苯乙烯-丁二烯嵌段共聚树脂相当。

MAM相对分子质量对PLA/PBAT/MAM共混物结构与性能的影响

通过熔融共混法制备聚乳酸/聚己二酸对苯二甲酸丁二酯/聚(甲基丙烯酸甲酯)-b-聚(丙烯酸丁酯)-b-聚(甲基丙烯酸甲酯)(PLA/PBAT/MAM)三元共混物,研究了MAM相对分子质量对PLA/PBAT/MAM三元共混物形态、结构和性能的影响。结果表明,添加MAM嵌段共聚物,能够有效改善PLA与PBAT的相容性,使共混物的玻璃化温度下降,结晶消失,使分散相粒子尺寸下降,分布更加均匀,提高共混物的冲击强度和断裂伸长率;MAM相对分子质量越大,共混物的冲击强度和断裂伸长率越大,分散相粒子尺寸越小,粒径分布越均匀。

Influence of Chain Architectures on Crystallization Behaviors of PLLA Block in PEG/PLLA Block Copolymers

The effect of the architecture of poly(ethylene glycol)/poly(L-lactide)(PEG/PLLA) block copolymers on the non-isothermal crystallization behaviors of PLLA blocks was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry(DSC) and wide angle X-ray diffraction(WAXD). 1-Arm MPEG-b-PLLA and 4-arm PEG-b-PLLA(4PEG-b-PLLA) were synthesized by the ring-opening polymerization of Llactide in the presence of poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether(MPEG) and 4-arm poly(ethylene glycol)(4PEG). 4-Arm PLLA-b-MPEG(4PLLA-b-PEG) was synthesized by coupling 4-arm PLLA and MPEG. The WAXD results indicated that the crystalline structure of PLLA blocks did not alter due to the different chain architectures. The average values of Avrami index(ˉn) were all above 4, which indicated that the nucleation mechanism of PLLA blocks was heterogeneous nucleation, regardless of the architectures. The overall crystallization rates were decreased markedly as following: MPEG-b-PLLA > 4PEG-b-PLLA > 4PLLA-b-PEG, ascribed to the different confinement by PEG blocks and to the steric hindrance of chain architectures. Therefore, the crystallization of PLLA blocks became more difficult and the crystallization activation energy of the PLLA blocks increased due to the confinement of chain architectures.

Self-assembly of monodisperse polymer microspheres from PPQ-b-PEG rod-coil block copolymers inselective solvents

Poly(phenylquinoline)-block-poly(ethylene glycol)(PPQ-b-PEG) rod-coil block co- polymers possess the self-assembly behavior in selective solvents. The copolymers in the mixed solvents of V(trifluoroacetic acid, TFA)︰V(dichloromethane, DCM)=1︰1 can self-assemble into polymer hollow microspheres with diameters of a few micrometers. The polymer hollow micro- spheres are monodisperse, and the diameters of them increase with an increased polymerization degree of the PPQ rigid-rod block. The solution concentration has no effect on the microsphere diameter, but spherical surface shows burrs when the solution concentration is too low. It has been found that the obtained dilute solution has the strongest absorption peak at 376 nm and strongest emissionpeak at 604 nm by the spectroscopy analysis.