Synthesis and characterization of well‐defined block and statistical copolymers based on lauryl methacrylate and 2‐(acetoacetoxy)ethyl methacrylate using RAFT‐controlled radical polymerization

Abstract

Four well-defined diblock copolymers and one statistical copolymer based on lauryl methacrylate (LauMA) and 2-(acetoacetoxy)ethyl methacrylate (AEMA) were prepared using reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. The polymers were characterized in terms of molecular weights, polydispersity indices (ranging between 1.12 and 1.23) and compositions by size exclusion chromatography and 1 H NMR spectroscopy, respectively. The preparation of the block copolymers was accomplished following a two-step methodology: First, well-defined LauMA homopolymers were prepared by RAFT using cumyl dithiobenzoate as the chain transfer agent (CTA). Kinetic studies revealed that the polymerization of LauMA followed first-order kinetics demonstrating the ''livingness'' of the RAFT process. The pLauMAs were subsequently used as macro-CTA for the polymerization of AEMA. The glass transition (T g ) and decomposition temperatures (ranging between 200 and 300 8C) of the copolymers were determined using differential scanning calorimetry and thermal gravimetric analysis, respectively. The T g s of the LauMA homopolymers were found to be around À53 8C. Block copolymers exhibited two T g s suggesting microphase separation in the bulk whereas the statistical copolymer presented a single T g as expected. Furthermore, the micellization behavior of pLauMAb-pAEMA block copolymers was investigated in n-hexane, a selective solvent for the LauMA block, using dynamic light scattering. pLauMA-b-pAEMA block copolymers formed spherical micelles in dilute hexane solutions with hydrodynamic diameters ranging between 30 and 50 nm. V

Structure–properties relationship of fatty acid-based thermoplastics as synthetic polymer mimics

“…236 Finally, RAFT was also used for the synthesis of block copolymers composed of lauryl methacrylate and 2-(acetoacetoxy) ethyl methacrylate repeating units. 237 Thermal properties of the copolymers were investigated after which micellization of the block copolymers was demonstrated in n-hexane.…”

Stimuli‐responsive amphiphilic PDMAEMA‐b‐PLMA copolymers and their cationic and zwitterionic analogs

“…Also, it has a low glass transition temperature ( T g ) (below room temperature, ca. −53 °C) and as a result, high deformability. Additionally, PLMA is biocompatible and lipophilic in respect to biomedical applications …”

Low temperature and cost-effective growth of vertically aligned carbon nanofibers using spin-coated polymer-stabilized palladium nanocatalysts

“…The polymers are stable up to certain temperature and burn off when heated to higher temperature thus leaving Pd NPs on the surface of the substrate. The stabilization temperature of LauMA x -b-AEMA y and PVP polymers is around 200 °C and 400 °C respectively [ 19 ]. The synthesis and characterization of the aforementioned polymer-stabilized Pd NPs has been reported in other studies [ 20 – 23 ]; however, in this work these polymer-metal nanohybrids have been employed for the growth of CNFs.…”