In situ synthesis of a self-assembled AB/B blend of poly(ethylene glycol)-b-polystyrene/polystyrene by dispersion RAFT polymerization. Issue 14 (22nd March 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Yuan, Bing; He, Xin; Qu, Yaqing; Gao, Chengqiang; Eiser, Erika; Zhang, Wangqing
• Is Part Of: Polymer chemistry. Volume 8:Issue 14(2017)
• Page Start: 2173
• Page End: 2181
• Publication Date: 2017-03-22
• Subjects: Polymers -- Periodicals; Macromolecules -- Periodicals; Polymerization -- Periodicals; 547.705
• DOI: 10.1039/c7py00339k
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1759-9954

Abstract

Abstract : A diblock-copolymer/homopolymer self-assembled blend was synthesized through dispersion RAFT polymerization, and its morphology changed with a decreasing ratio of diblock-copolymer/homopolymer. Abstract : A diblock-copolymer/homopolymer self-assembled blend of poly(ethylene glycol)- block -polystyrene/polystyrene (PEG- b -PS/PS) was synthesized through dispersion RAFT polymerization. In this dispersion RAFT polymerization reaction, a macro-RAFT agent and a small RAFT agent containing the same RAFT moiety were simultaneously used. By tuning the molar ratio of the macro-RAFT agent and the small RAFT agent fed into the dispersion RAFT polymerization mixture, PEG- b -PS/PS self-assembled blends with different morphologies could be prepared. It is found that the PEG- b -PS/PS self-assembled blend synthesized by dispersion RAFT polymerization is very different from the blend prepared via micellization of a pre-synthesized PEG- b -PS/PS mixture, and its morphology changes from vesicles, to compartmentalized vesicles and finally to porous nanospheres with a decreasing ratio of PEG- b -PS/PS in the blends. It is believed that the present dispersion RAFT polymerization technique, which simultaneously uses a macro-RAFT agent and a small RAFT agent, is a valid method to synthesize self-assembled block copolymer blends.