Poly(2-alkyl-2-oxazoline)-Based Copolymer Library with a Thermoresponsive Behavior in Dodecane

Abstract

Poly­(2-oxazoline)­s are an emerging class of polymers due to their high versatility and hence have proven to be beneficial in numerous applications. The extensive study and interest in this polymer class is due to their great synthetic flexibility and good biocompatibility, resulting in the synthesis of extremely functional material, particularly advantageous in biomedical applications. Although the thermoresponsive behavior of POx has been extensively studied in aqueous media, there is only limited literature on polymers with temperature sensitivity and solubility in nonaqueous media. Herein, a systematic library of 21 tunable copolymers based on unsaturated 2-fatty acid-2-oxazoline, 2-phenyl-2-oxazoline, and 2-ethyl-2-oxazoline have been synthesized, and their thermal properties and solution behavior in aqueous and nonaqueous media have been investigated via DSC, TGA, and UV–vis measurements, respectively. Finally, their ability as a dispersant for carbonized materials in nonaqueous medium is evaluated using carbon black.

Amphiphilic oligo(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline)s via straightforward synthesis and their self-assembly behaviour

“…38 Propargyl tosylate (PropTos) was selected as the initiator to introduce alkyne functionality at the α-end of the chain for post-polymerization modification using thiol–yne click chemistry. In a recent study from our group, 39 we found that using PropTos resulted in the complete and efficient initiation of EtOx at a lower temperature of 100 °C with no sign of non-linear first order kinetics which is indicative of slow initiation. The synthetic procedures of all oligomers is outlined in Fig.…”

Utilization of Anthracene-Functionalized Poly(2-oxazolines) as a Dispersant of Carbon Black in Water and Dodecane

“…Recently, a study found that poly­(2-oxazoline)­s (POxs) are a promising short-term dispersant of CB in dodecane . POx is a class of polymers that have been gaining emerging attention in both industrial and biological applications due to their unparalleled synthetic versality. − Recent studies have consistently showcased their benefits in biological applications − , but their potential in other uses is rarely explored.…”

Comparison of the hydrophilicity of water-soluble poly(2-alkyl-2-oxazoline)s, poly(2-alkyl-2-oxazine)s and poly(2,4-dialkyl-2-oxazoline)s

“…Polymers such as PMeOx and PMeOz, for example, are both known to be fully water-soluble up to 100 °C, thus would be considered equally hydrophilic via turbidimetry assessment. 30,31 Assessment of the hydrophilicity of individual PCIEs has been largely limited in the literature to the measurement of cloud point temperature ( T cp ), 22,30,31,43 contact angle (both water and multi-solution) 44–48 and surface energy, 45,49 and, more recently, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) retention time. 10,50–53 While important properties to consider, some of these techniques have notable limitations.…”