Correlation between the structure of water in the vicinity of carboxybetaine polymers and their blood-compatibility

The structure and hydrogen bonding of water in the vicinity of carboxybetaine homopolymer (poly[1-carboxy-N,N-dimethyl-N-(2'-methacryloyloxyethyl)methanaminium inner salt] (PolyCMB), and a random copolymer of CMB and n-butyl methacrylate, Poly(CMB-r-BMA), with various molecular weights were analyzed in their aqueous solutions and thin film with contours of O-H stretching of Raman and attenuated total reflection infrared (ATR-IR) spectra, respectively. The relative intensity of the collective band (C value) corresponding to a long-range coupling of O-H stretchings of the Raman spectra for aqueous solution of Poly(CMB-r-BMA) was very close to that for pure water, which is in contrast with the smaller C value in aqueous solution of ordinary polyelectrolytes. The number of hydrogen bonds collapsed by the presence of one monomer residue (N(corr) value) of PolyCMB and Poly(CMB-r-BMA) (CMB, 45 mol %) (M(w), 1.14 x 10(4) and 1.78 x 10(4), respectively) could be calculated from the C value. The N(corr) values were much smaller than those for ordinary polyelectrolytes and close to those for nonionic water-soluble polymers such as poly(ethylene glycol) and poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone). Furthermore, a water-insoluble Poly(CMB-r-BMA) with a large BMA content (M(w) = 347 kD, CMB 27 mol %) could be cast as a thin film (thickness, ca. 10 microm) on a ZnSe crystal for the ATR-IR analyses. At an early stage of sorption of water into the Poly(CMB-r-BMA) film, the O-H stretching band of IR spectra for the water incorporated in the film was similar to that for free water, which is in contrast with the drastic change in the O-H stretching band of water incorporated in polymer films such as poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and poly(n-butyl methacrylate) (PBMA). The theoretical vibrational frequency for water molecules hydrating a betaine molecule calculated by using a density functional method supported the experimental results. The adhesion of human platelets to Poly(CMB-r-BMA) films was much less than that to PMMA and PBMA. With an increase in the content of CMB residue, the number of platelets adhered to the Poly(CMB-r-BMA) film drastically decreased and then gradually increased, probably due to the increase in the roughness of the film surface. These results suggest that the carboxybetaine monomer residues with a zwitterionic structure do not significantly disturb the hydrogen bonding between water molecules in both aqueous solution and thin film systems, resulting in the excellent blood-compatibility of the carboxybetaine polymers.     

Structure of water incorporated in amphoteric polymer thin films as revealed by FT-IR spectroscopy

The structure and hydrogen bonding of water incorporated in a thin film of amphoteric terpolymers composed of various ratios of MA, DMAPMA, and BMA were analyzed using the band shapes of the O--H stretching in the IR spectra. At an early stage of sorption of water, the IR spectrum for the water incorporated in the film with comparative contents of MA and DMAPMA residues was similar to that for free water. This is consistent with the tendency for zwitterionic polymers, but is in contrast with the drastic change in the IR spectrum of water incorporated in non-ionic polymer films such as polyBMA. These results suggest a correlation between the mildness of the charge-balanced polymers to the structure of incorporated water and their blood compatibilities.     

Surface patterns of block copolymers in thin layers after vapor treatment

A systematic study of formation of surface patterns in block copolymer thin layers after their exposure to solvent vapors was performed. The studied effect involves layers of thickness approximately equal to the ordering size of polymers - about 45 nm. Experiments were performed on three styrene - methacrylate derivative block copolymers, synthesized by living anionic polymerization: poly(4-octylstyrene)-block-poly(butyl methacrylate), poly(4-fluorostyrene)-block-poly(butyl methacrylate) and poly(p-octylstyrene)-block-poly(methyl methacrylate). The polymers were exposed to vapors of chloroform, 1,4-dioxane, hexane, acetone and tetrahydrofuran.     

Morphology control and inducing a curvature on the domain interface by increasing the steric bulk of polymethacrylate in POSS‐containing diblock copolymers

Herein, a novel rod‐coil type polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS)‐containing diblock copolymer was designed to enable the self‐assembly of hexagonally packed cylinders of the POSS‐containing domain in a poly(n‐butyl methacrylate) (PnBMA) matrix. When POSS‐containing diblock copolymers were synthesized with polyisoprene or poly(methyl methacrylate), cylindrical structures could not be obtained as POSS‐containing polymers form stretched rigid rods. This makes the formation of cylindrical structures with the POSS‐containing domain entropically unfavorable. Therefore, to obtain the cylindrical structures, we constructed a novel diblock copolymer using PnBMA to increase the steric bulk and segment volume of the flexible coil. Steric crowding of the butyl groups reduces the entropic free stretching energy of the PnBMA chains, which in turn encourages the formation of a POSS‐containing hexagonally packed cylindrical structure within the PnBMA matrix as the system minimizes the total free energy of the thermodynamically stable nanostructure. Small angle X‐ray scattering and transmission electron microscopy analyses indicated that cylinders of the POSS domain had formed. Oxygen plasma etching was then used on the thin film to selectively remove the PnBMA domain to yield line and space structures with a high degree of long‐range order and a 14 nm feature size. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2017 , 55, 2234–2242     

Controlling the size of nanostructures in thin films via blending of block copolymers and homopolymers

The effects of molecular weight and concentration of poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) homopolymer or symmetric short polystyrene-block-poly (methyl methacrylate) (PS-b-PMMA) diblock copolymer on the size of the nanostructures of its blends with symmetric long PS-b-PMMA diblock copolymer have been investigated by atomic force microscopy. By careful controlling of the film thickness, solvent selectivity, and annealing time, PMMA cylindrical microdomains oriented normal to the film surface were obtained in all thin films. With the addition of both low- and high-molecular-weight PMMA homopolymers, the cylindrical domain sizes increased although it was less obvious for the lower molecular weight homopolymer. In contrast to the homopolymer, adding the short chain diblock copolymer resulted in a decrease in the cylindrical domain size, which was ascribed to the reduction of the interfacial tension and increase in the stretching energy.     

Fluorinated modification of hyperbranched polyesters used for improving the surface property of UV curing coatings

The commercial hyperbranched aliphatic polyols (Hn) were modified by thioglycolic acid (TA) and hexafluorobutyl acrylate (HFBA) or dodecafluoroheptyl methacrylate (DFHMA) to prepare a series of fluorinated hyperbranched polyesters. For comparison, a linear fluorinated polymer, poly(n-BMA-co-DFHMA), was synthesized through the copolymerization of n-butyl methacrylate (BMA) and DFHMA. The molecular structures were characterized by ¹H NMR spectroscopic analysis. The synthesized polymers were incorporated into UV-curable formulations as additives, and exposed to a UV lamp. After UV curing, the wettability of the films was investigated by contact angle measurement with water and 1-bromonaphthalene. The results showed that both the hydrophobicity and oleophobicity were greatly enhanced. Moreover, the fluorinated hyperbranched polymers possessed better water and oil repellency than the copolymer poly(n-BMA-co-DFHMA) at a very low concentration. The surface F/C ratio values of the cured films were detected by XPS analysis, and the film with TAH20-DFHMA showed the highest F/C ratio value, indicating its most efficient aggregation effect at the film surface.     

Fourier transform infrared study on the sorption of water to various kinds of polymer thin films

The state of sorbed water and the sorbing processes of water to various polymer thin films were studied with Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. To prepare the polymer films, we used poly(ethylene glycol)s of different molecular weights and various kinds of vinyl polymers, such as poly(2‐methoxyethyl acrylate). The O? H stretching band of water sorbed in the films increased gradually on contact with water vapor at 50% relative humidity and leveled off. When O? H stretching bands of water sorbed to polymer films were compared, the peak positions and profiles of water sorbed to the polymeric materials with the same hydrogen‐bonding site were similar. A hybrid density‐functional method supported the assignment of the peaks. Furthermore, the diffusion coefficient (D) of water vapor in the polymer films was estimated by time‐resolved measurements of the sorbed water at the very initial stage (0–830 s). It was clearly shown that the D values of water vapor in the polymer materials with a strong hydrogen‐bonding site were smaller than those in hydrophobic polymers. The usefulness of the FTIR technique to investigate water sorption to polymer materials was definitely demonstrated. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 39: 2175–2182, 2001     

Raman spectroscopic study of the structure of water in aqueous solutions of amphoteric polymers

Methacrylic acid (MA) and [3-(methacryloylamino)propyl]trimethylammonium chloride (MAPTAC) were polymerized to give amphoteric copolymers with various compositions. The structure and H-bonding of water in an aqueous solution of the copolymer were analyzed using the contours of the O-H stretching in the polarized Raman spectra. For comparison, the H-bonded network structure of aqueous solutions of homopolymers (polyMA and polyMAPTAC) was also examined. From the relative intensity of the collective band (C value) corresponding to a long range coupling of the O-H stretching in the aqueous polymer solutions, the number of H-bonds disrupted due to the presence of one monomer residue of the polymers (Ncorr) was determined. The Ncorr value for polyMA was largely positive, and with an increase in the content of the MAPTAC residue, the Ncorr value became smaller, and after passing a minimum (which was still slightly positive) at a roughly equivalent molar ratio, the Ncorr value increased again. This is in significant contrast with the larger positive Ncorr values for the homopolymers (both polyMA and polyMAPTAC), and other ordinary polyelectrolytes such as sodium polyethylenesulfonate, poly-L-lysine hydrobromide and sodium polyacrylate. Furthermore, the Ncorr value for the copolymer (MA ratio MAPTAC = 56:44) became much smaller by the neutralization of MA residues in the copolymer with sodium hydroxide, and comparable to those for neutral polymers such as poly(ethylene glycol) and poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) and zwitterionic polymers such as poly(2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine) (PMPC) and poly[3-sulfo-N,N-dimethyl-N-(3'-methacryloylaminopropyl)propanaminium inner salt]. The present results clearly indicate that the amphoteric polymers with comparative contents of cationic and anionic groups do not significantly disturb the H-bonded network structure of water, probably due to the counteraction of the electrostatic hydration effect by the proximity between the anionic and cationic side groups.     

Dewetting behavior of a block copolymer/homopolymer thin film on an immiscible homopolymer substrate

Numerous previous studies have established that the addition of a microphase-ordered AB diblock copolymer to a thin homopolymer A (hA) film can slow, if not altogether prevent, film rupture and subsequent film dewetting on a hard substrate such as silica. However, only a few reports have examined comparable phenomena when the hA/AB blend resides on a soft B-selective surface, such as homopolymer B (hB). In this work, the dewetting kinetics of thin films composed of polystyrene (PS) and a symmetric poly(styrene-b-methyl methacrylate) (SM) diblock copolymer on a poly(methyl methacrylate) substrate is investigated by hot-stage light microscopy. Without the SM copolymer, the dewetting rate of the PS layer is constant under isothermal conditions and exhibits Arrhenius behavior with an apparent activation energy of approximately 180 kJ/mol. Addition of the copolymer promotes a crossover from early- to late-stage dewetting kinetics, as evidenced by measurably different dewetting rates. Transmission electron microscopy reveals the morphological characteristics of dewetted PS/SM films as functions of film thickness and SM concentration.     

Monte Carlo simulation on layered polymeric films

Thin films of polymer blends composed of alternating copolymer, diblock copolymer and/or homopolymer are studied using Monte Carlo simulation. A multilayer morphology is observed in the film, that is, the blended polymers assemble into individual domains arranged from interior to the surfaces of the film. The coexisting components residing throughout the neighboring domains in the film make no distinguishable interface between any neighboring domains. By this means, it forms a vertical composition gradient in the polymeric film. Being different from layer-by-layer deposition of polyelectrolyte or hydrogen bonding approach etc., the layered structure in this study is formed by polymer blending in one step. Alternating copolymers are found to be essential components to form vertical composition gradient （layered structure） in thin films.     

Synthesis,surface accumulation,and micellar properties of amphiphilic block copolymers

Amphiphilic block copolymers, i.e., poly(methyl methacrylate)-b-poly(2-dimethylethylammoniumethyl methacrylate), were synthesized by the reaction between two prepolymers. Carboxyl-terminated poly(methyl methacrylate) and hydroxyl-terminated poly(2-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate) were prepared by radical polymerization of the corresponding monomers in the presence of thioglycolic acid and 2-mercaptoethanol as a chain transfer agent, respectively. Two condensation methods, i.e., DCC and the acid chloride method, were used for the reactions of these prepolymers. The subsequent quarternization produced the amphiphilic block copolymers. Surface property of poly(methyl methacrylate) films containing this amphiphilic block copolymer was examined by measuring contact angles for water. The addition of only 0.5 wt% of the block copolymer was sufficient to make poly(methyl methacrylate) surfaces hydrophilic. The block copolymer formed a polymeric micelle in acetone–water mixed solvent.     

Electropolymerization of layer‐by‐layer precursor polymer films

The layer‐by‐layer (LbL) self‐assembly has been used to fabricate polymer thin films on any solid substrates. The multilayer polymer thin films are constructed by alternating adsorption of anionic and cationic polymers. Polyelectrolyte multilayer ultrathin films containing anionic poly[2‐(thiophen‐3‐yl)ethyl methacrylate‐co‐methacrylic acid]; P(TEM‐co‐MA) and cationic poly[4‐(9H‐carbazol‐9‐yl)‐N‐butyl‐4‐vinyl pyridium bromide]; P4VPCBZ, were fabricated. The growth of multilayer ultrathin films was followed by UV–Vis absorption spectrophotometer and surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy (SPR). The deposition of P(TEM‐co‐MA)/P4VPCBZ as multilayer self‐assembled ultrathin films regularly grow which showed linear growth of absorbance and thickness with increasing the number of layer pair. Cross‐linking of the layers was verified by cyclic voltammetry (CV), UV–Vis spectrophotometry and electrochemical surface plasmon resonance (EC‐SPR) spectroscopy with good electro‐copolymerizability. This was verified by spectroelectrochemistry. The SPR angular‐reflectivity measurement resulted in shifts to a higher reflectivity according to the change in the dielectric constant of the electropolymerized film. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Superlow fouling sulfobetaine and carboxybetaine polymers on glass slides

This work describes the superlow fouling properties of glass slides grafted with zwitterionic polymers to highly resist the adsorption of proteins and the adhesion of mammalian cells. Glass slides were first silanized using 2-bromo-2-methyl-N-3-[(triethoxysilyl)propyl]propanamide (BrTMOS). Two zwitterionic polymers, poly(sulfobetaine methacrylate) (polySBMA) and poly(carboxybetaine methacrylate) (polyCBMA), were then grafted from the silanized glass substrates using the atom-transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) method. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used to analyze the surfaces of the silanized glass substrates and the substrates grafted with the polymers. An enzyme-linked immonosobrbent assay (ELISA) using polyclonal antibodies was used to measure fibrinogen adsorption on these surfaces. The surfaces with polySBMA or polyCBMA layers were shown to reduce fibrinogen adsorption to a level comparable with that of adsorption on poly(ethylene glycol)-like films. Bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAECs) were seeded on these surfaces. The attachment and spreading of the cells were observed only on unpolymerized glass surfaces. This work further demonstrates that zwitterionic polymers highly resist nonspecific protein adsorption and cell adhesion and provides an effective method to modify glass slides or other oxide surfaces to achieve superlow fouling.     

Raman spectroscopic study on the structure of water in aqueous solution of zwitterionic surfactants

The structure and hydrogen bonding of water in aqueous solutions of various surfactants were analyzed using the contours of the O-H stretching in the polarized Raman spectra. From the relative intensity of the collective band (C value) corresponding to a long-range coupling of the O-H stretching in the aqueous surfactant solutions, the number of hydrogen bonds disrupted due to the presence of one surfactant molecule (N(corr) value) was evaluated. The N(corr) value for decylsulfobetaine was slightly negative, whereas those for ordinary ionic surfactants such as sodium dodecylsulfate and dodecyltrimethylammonium chloride were large positive values. Furthermore, the N(corr) for carboxybetaine surfactant was a small positive value. These results suggest that zwitterionic surfactants do not disturb the hydrogen-bonded network structure of water significantly, probably due to the counteraction of the electrostriction effect by the proximity between the anionic and cationic groups.     

Crystalline ice grown on the surface of the ferroelectric polymer poly(vinylidene fluoride) (70%) and trifluoroethylene (30%)

Water ice is observed to order at the copolymer ferroelectric poly(vinylidene difluoride-trifluoroethylene) surface. The successful growth of crystalline thin films of water on these polymer surfaces implicates water to polymer dipole interactions. These ice thin films are sufficiently ordered for experimental identification of the wave vector dependence in the electronic band structure of hexagonal ice. The significant band dispersion, of about 1 eV, suggests strong overlap of molecular orbitals between adjacent water molecules in the ice film. The presence of dipole interactions with adsorbate water is consistent with the possibility of water acting as a spectator to surface ferroelectric transitions in this system.     

Block copolymer mediated synthesis of amphiphilic gold nanoparticles in water and an aqueous tetrahydrofuran medium: An approach for the preparation of polymer–gold nanocomposites

The synthesis of polymer‐matrix‐compatible amphiphilic gold (Au) nanoparticles with well‐defined triblock polymer poly[2‐(N,N‐dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate]‐b‐poly(methyl methacrylate)‐b‐poly[2‐(N,N‐dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate] and diblock polymers poly(methyl methacrylate)‐b‐poly[2‐(N,N‐dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate], polystyrene‐b‐poly[2‐(N,N‐dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate], and poly(t‐butyl methacrylate)‐b‐poly[2‐(N,N‐dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate] in water and in aqueous tetrahydrofuran (tetrahydrofuran/H₂O = 20:1 v/v) at room temperature is reported. All these amphiphilic block copolymers were synthesized with atom transfer radical polymerization. The variations of the position of the plasmon resonance band and the core diameter of such block copolymer functionalized Au particles with the variation of the surface functionality, solvent, and molecular weight of the hydrophobic and hydrophilic parts of the block copolymers were systematically studied. Different types of polymer–Au nanocomposite films [poly(methyl methacrylate)–Au, poly(t‐butyl methacrylate)–Au, polystyrene–Au, poly(vinyl alcohol)–Au, and poly(vinyl pyrrolidone)–Au] were prepared through the blending of appropriate functionalized Au nanoparticles with the respective polymer matrices {e.g., blending poly[2‐(N,N‐dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate]‐b‐poly(methyl methacrylate)‐b‐poly[2‐(N,N‐dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate‐stabilized Au with the poly(methyl methacrylate)matrix only}. The compatibility of specific block copolymer modified Au nanoparticles with a specific homopolymer matrix was determined by a combination of ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry analyses. The facile formation of polymer–Au nanocomposites with a specific block copolymer stabilized Au particle was attributed to the good compatibility of block copolymer coated Au particles with a specific polymer matrix. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 1841–1854, 2006     

聚氨酯表面构建磺铵两性离子结构及其抗血小板粘附性的研究

通过己二异氰酸酯(HDI)在聚醚氨酯(PU)表面构建磺铵两性离子结构,以改善其不凝血性能,首先用HDI活化PU表面,生成PU-NCO衍生物;然后通过N,N-二甲基乙醇胺(DMEEA)中的-OH和PU表面的-NCO反应生成PU-N(CH₃)₂;最后用丙磺酸内酯(PS)进行开环.生成磺铵两性离子结构,用ATR-IR表征了各步反应,对构建前后材料的抗血小板粘附性能进行了比较,结果表明,磺铵两性离子结构具有优异的抗血小板粘附性.     

Direct-write multiphoton photolithography: a systematic study of the etching behaviors in various commercial polymers

The nonlinear optical processes involved in etching thin polymer films by direct-write multiphoton photolithographic methods (Higgins et al. Appl. Phys. Lett. 2006, 88, 184101) are systematically explored. Power-dependent etching data are obtained for thin films of several commercial polymers, including poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), polystyrene (PS), poly(butyl methacrylate) (PBMA), and poly[2-(3-thienyl)ethyloxy-4-butylsulfonate] (PTEBS). Femtosecond pulses of light from a Ti:sapphire laser are focused to a diffraction limited spot of approximately 570 nm 1/e2 diameter in the films to induce etching. The power dependence of etching in each polymer is used to determine the order of the nonlinear optical process involved. The results for PMMA and PBMA, both of which absorb to the blue of 240 nm, demonstrate that etching involves absorption of several (i.e., 4-6) photons by the polymer, whereas PS, which absorbs wavelengths shorter than 280 nm, is etched by a lower-order process involving fewer (i.e., 3-4) photons. PTEBS, a conducting polymer that absorbs in the visible, is etched by a two-photon process. The results are consistent with an etching mechanism that involves multiphoton-induced depolymerization of the polymer, followed by vaporization of the resulting fragments. The etching resolution is found to be highest for polymers having high glass transition temperatures, low molecular weights, and no visible absorption. Among the polymers examined, low molecular weight PMMA is concluded to be the best polymer for use with this lithographic method. Finally, soft lithography is used to transfer patterns produced in a PMMA film onto poly(dimethylsiloxane), demonstrating a simple means for fabricating submicrometer-scale structures for use in micro- and nanofluidic devices.     

Amphiphilic star‐block copolymers based on a hyperbranched core: Synthesis and supramolecular self‐assembly

Novel amphiphilic star‐block copolymers, star poly(caprolactone)‐block‐poly[(2‐dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate] and poly(caprolactone)‐block‐poly(methacrylic acid), with hyperbranched poly(2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA–OH) as a core moiety were synthesized and characterized. The star‐block copolymers were prepared by a combination of ring‐opening polymerization and atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). First, hyperbranched PHEMA–OH with 18 hydroxyl end groups on average was used as an initiator for the ring‐opening polymerization of ε‐caprolactone to produce PHEMA–PCL star homopolymers [PHEMA = poly(2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate); PCL = poly(caprolactone)]. Next, the hydroxyl end groups of PHEMA–PCL were converted to 2‐bromoesters, and this gave rise to macroinitiator PHEMA–PCL–Br for ATRP. Then, 2‐dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate or tert‐butyl methacrylate was polymerized from the macroinitiators, and this afforded the star‐block copolymers PHEMA–PCL–PDMA [PDMA = poly(2‐dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate)] and PHEMA–PCL–PtBMA [PtBMA = poly(tert‐butyl methacrylate)]. Characterization by gel permeation chromatography and nuclear magnetic resonance confirmed the expected molecular structure. The hydrolysis of tert‐butyl ester groups of the poly(tert‐butyl methacrylate) blocks gave the star‐block copolymer PHEMA–PCL–PMAA [PMAA = poly(methacrylic acid)]. These amphiphilic star‐block copolymers could self‐assemble into spherical micelles, as characterized by dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 6534–6544, 2005     

Synthesis of anionic amphiphilic carbosilane block copolymer: Poly(1,1‐diethylsilacyclobutane‐block‐methacrylic acid)

An amphiphilic block copolymer of silacyclobutane and methacrylic acid (MAA) was synthesized via a living anionic polymerization of 1,1‐diethylsilacylcobutane (EtSB). Sequential addition of 1,1‐diphenylethylene and t‐butyl methacrylate (tBMA) to living poly(EtSB) in the presence of lithium chloride gave poly(EtSB‐block‐tBMA) with narrow molecular weight distributions. The t‐butyl ester groups in the obtained polymer were readily hydrolyzed via heating in 1,4‐dioxane in the presence of concentrated aqueous hydrochloric acid. The block copolymer with a short MAA segment was soluble in chloroform and insoluble in methanol and basic water, whereas the block copolymer with a long MAA segment was soluble in methanol and basic water and insoluble in chloroform. The block polymer (EtSB/tBMA = 45/60) formed a monolayer film on the water surface; this was confirmed by surface pressure measurement. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 39: 86–92, 2001