Mechanism of gold metal ion reduction, nanoparticle growth and size control in aqueous amphiphilic block copolymer solutions at ambient conditions

Spontaneous formation and efficient stabilization of gold nanoparticles with an average diameter of 7 approximately 20 nm from hydrogen tetrachloroaureate(III) hydrate (HAuCl4.3H2O) were achieved in air-saturated aqueous poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide)-poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO-PPO-PEO) block copolymer solutions at ambient temperature in the absence of any other reducing agent. The particle formation mechanism is considered here on the basis of the block copolymer concentration dependence of absorption spectra, the time dependence (kinetics) of AuCl4- reduction, and the block copolymer concentration dependence of particle size. The effects of block copolymer characteristics such as molecular weight (MW), PEO block length, PPO block length, and critical micelle concentration (cmc) are explored by examining several PEO-PPO-PEO block copolymers. Our observations suggest that the formation of gold nanoparticles from AuCl4- comprises three main steps: (1) reduction of metal ions by block copolymer in solution, (2) absorption of block copolymer on gold clusters and reduction of metal ions on the surface of these gold clusters, and (3) growth of metal particles stabilized by block copolymers. While both PEO and PPO blocks contribute to the AuCl4- reduction (step 1), the PEO contribution appears to be dominant. In step 2, the adsorption of block copolymers on the surface of gold clusters takes place because of the amphiphilic character of the block copolymer (hydrophobicity of PPO). The much higher efficiency of particle formation attained in the PEO-PPO-PEO block copolymer systems as compared to PEO homopolymer systems can be attributed to the adsorption and growth processes (steps 2 and 3) facilitated by the block copolymers. The size of the gold nanoparticles produced is dictated by the above mechanism; the size increases with increasing reaction activity induced by the block copolymer overall molecular weight and is limited by adsorption due to the amphiphilic character of the block copolymers.     

Control of the block copolymer morphology in templated epoxy thermosets

It has been found that by the addition of low concentrations of an amphiphilic block copolymer to an epoxy resin, novel disordered morphologies can be formed and preserved through curing. This article will focus on characterizing the influence of the block copolymer and casting solvent on the templated morphology achieved in the thermoset sample. The ultimate goal of this work is to determine the parameters that would control the microphase morphology produced. Epoxy resins blended with a series of amphiphilic block copolymers based on hydrogenated polyisoprene (polyethylene-alt-propylene or PEP) and polyethylene oxide (PEO), specifically, were investigated. In this article, the cure-induced order–order phase transition from the spherical to wormlike micelle morphology will also be discussed. It is proposed that the formation of the wormlike micelle structure from the spherical micelle structure is similar to the phase transition behavior that occurs in dilute block copolymer solutions as a function of the influence of the solvent on micelle morphology. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 45: 3338–3348, 2007     

Self‐Assembly of Poly(vinylpyridine‐b‐oligo(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate) Diblock Copolymers

Poly(oligoethylene glycol)‐poly(2‐vinylpyridine) is a model diblock for studying the effect of block‐localized charge on block copolymer self‐assembly because in the absence of charge the polymers are perfectly miscible, and upon protonation of the vinylpyridine block the polymer undergoes an order–disorder transition. Seven model block copolymers with molecular weights of approximately 60 kDa containing poly(2‐vinylpyridine) volume fractions spanning 0.069–0.700 were synthesized using reversible addition fragmentation transfer polymerization and then studied to understand the effect of protonation level, diblock composition, and temperature on the location of the ordering transition and the type of nanostructures formed in a charge asymmetric system. All of the polymers displayed lower critical solution‐type behavior, with the order–disorder transition temperature decreasing with increasing acid content. Polymers with symmetric compositions showed the highest degree of incompatibility for a given degree of protonation, and the observed morphologies for all polymers were consistent with those observed at similar compositions for classical hydrophobic block copolymers. The observed protonation‐induced phase transition can be explained by the shift of the Flory–Huggins parameter due to the alternation of the identity of monomers, consistent with the prediction of Nakamura and Wang's theory. The use of polyvalent ions promotes self‐assembly at lower concentrations, consistent with ionic crosslinking effects between polymer chains that are promoted at high concentration due to exchange entropy in crosslinked polymers. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2017 , 55, 1181–1190     

Coarse graining in block copolymer films

We present few ordering mechanisms in block copolymer melts in the coarse-graining approach. For chemically homogeneous or modulated confining surfaces, the surface ordering is investigated above and below the order–disorder temperature. In some cases, the copolymer deformation near the surface is similar to the copolymer morphology in bulk grain boundaries. Block copolymers in contact with rough surfaces are considered as well, and the transition from lamellae parallel to perpendicular to the surface is investigated as a function of surface roughness. Finally, we describe how external electric fields can be used to align block copolymer mesophases in a desired direction, or to induce an order–order phase transition, and dwell on the role of mobile dissociated ions on the transition. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 2725–2739, 2006     

The effects of nanoparticles on the lamellar phase separation of diblock copolymers

The phase separation of diblock copolymers containing some energetically neutral/biased nanoparticles is studied by means of large-scale dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) simulations. The effects of the volume fraction of nanoparticles, the size of nanoparticles, and the interaction strength between nanoparticles and blocks on the lamellar phase separation of diblock copolymers are investigated. When these effects are up to a critical value, the diblock copolymer nanocomposites can form a new bicontinuous morphology, which is well consistent with the experimental results. It is also found that the degree of order of phase separation for a given system increases slightly and then decreases abruptly until the bicontinuous morphology is formed as the volume fraction of nanoparticles increases. Furthermore, we discuss the microphase transition through the position distributions of nanoparticles and present a phase diagram in terms of the nanoparticle volume fraction, size, and surface interaction strength.     

Lamellar-to-cubic phase change in phospholipid bilayer systems incorporated with block copolymers: DMPC and PEO-PPO-PEO (P85)

We have used small-angle X-ray scattering and calorimetric methods to investigate the temperature-dependent phase behavior of ternary systems of phospholipid (DMPC), amphiphilic PEO-PPO-PEO block copolymer (Pluronics P85), and water. It is shown that a relatively small amount of block copolymers ( approximately 3 wt %) results in a lamellar-to-cubic phase transition. Still, both the bilayer-characteristic main transition, associated with chain melting, and the pretransition, associated with in-plane modulations, are preserved for copolymer concentrations up to 50-70 wt %, indicating the preservation of a bilayer type of lipid organization also within the cubic phase. The main transition splits up into two transitions upon the addition of copolymers, one resembling the high cooperativity of the main transition and one broad transition which may reflect complex formation with the copolymers. Parallel studies incorporating poly(ethylene glycol) into the DMPC multilamellar vesicles do not give analogous structural changes. It is concluded that the major effect on the molecular scale of adding PEO-PPO-PEO block copolymers is not only due to the hydration of the membrane but also due to the incorporation of the PPO block into the bilayer structure.     

双亲三嵌段共聚物PEO-PPO-PEO在水溶液中相行为的理论研究

用自洽平均场理论的谱方法研究了双亲三嵌段共聚物PEO-PPO-PEO的分子量对其在水溶液相行为的影响. 理论预测了各种溶致液晶相的稳定区域. 通过系统地改变聚合物的分子量, 我们给出了各种PEO-PPO-PEO三嵌段共聚物在水溶液中的相图. 此外, 也研究了分子量对自组装结构各组分浓度分布的影响. 发现在给定的温度下, 聚合物的分子量是体系发生相分离的一个重要驱动力. 我们的理论结果与相关的实验很好地符合.     

丙烯酰胺-苯乙烯双亲嵌段共聚物水溶液的粘度性能

通过改变丙烯酰胺 (AM)与苯乙烯 (St)两单体的投料比 ,在微乳液介质中制备了分子组成系列变化的丙烯酰胺 苯乙烯双亲嵌段共聚物 (PAM b PSt) ,使用旋转粘度计测定了共聚物水溶液的表观粘度 ,详细考察了共聚物浓度、共聚物链结构、剪切速率、盐度及温度等因素对共聚物水溶液表观粘度的影响规律 .研究结果表明 ,由于PAM b PSt分子链中的PSt疏水嵌段链段之间具有强的疏水缔合作用 ,导致其具有独特的流变性能 .当共聚物水溶液的浓度高于某一临界值后 ,疏水缔合作用以分子间的缔合为主 ,大分子链之间会形成动态物理交联网络 ,增大了流体力学体积 ,使PAM b PSt水溶液可产生良好的增稠性能 ;疏水缔合作用是一吸热过程 ,升高温度有利于分子间的缔合 ,因此PAM b PSt水溶液具有良好的耐温性 ;聚合物水溶液中盐类物质的存在 ,会增强溶剂的极性 ,有利于分子间的缔合 ,使PAM b PSt水溶液具有良好的耐盐性 .     

Spontaneous formation of gold nanoparticles in poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide) solutions: solvent quality and polymer structure effects

We report here on the effects that the solution properties of poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide)-poly(ethylene oxide) block copolymers have on the reduction of hydrogen tetrachloroaurate(III) hydrate (HAuCl4.3H2O) and the size of gold nanoparticles produced. The amphiphilic block copolymer solution properties were modulated by varying the temperature and solvent quality (water, formamide, and their mixtures). We identified two main factors, (i) block copolymer conformation or structure (e.g., loops vs entanglements, nonassociated polymers vs micelles) and (ii) interactions between AuCl4- ions and block copolymers (attractive ion-dipole interactions vs repulsive interactions due to hydrophobicity), to be important for controlling the competition between the reactivities of AuCl4- reduction in the bulk solution to form gold seeds and on the surface of gold seeds (particles) and the particle size determination. The particle size increase observed with increased temperature in aqueous solutions is attributed to enhanced hydrophobicity of the block copolymer, which favors AuCl4- reduction on the surface of seeds. The lower reactivity and higher particle sizes observed in formamide solutions are attributed to the shielding of ion-dipole interaction between AuCl4- ions and block copolymers by formamide, which overcomes the beneficial effects of formamide on the block copolymer conformation (lower micelle concentration).     

Phase Transition and Phase Transformation in Block Copolymer Nanoparticles

Block copolymer nanopaticles were prepared from the mixture solutions containing good/poor solvents by a simple evaporation process. The block copolymers formed disorder, unidirectionally stacked lamellar, and onion‐like structures in nanoparticles depending on preparation temperatures. Thermal annealing induced the disorder‐order phase transition and order‐order phase transformation in the block copolymer nanoparticles, even though the annealing temperature is lower than the of one polymer segment. The unusual thermal behaviors suggest that the glass transition temperature of the block copolymer is decreased by the effect of nanoparticle, whose surface areas are larger than their volumes.

     

Poly(styrene-block-isoprene) nanocomposites: Kinetics of intercalation and effects of copolymer on intercalation behaviors

In addition to phase morphology, diffusion, and dynamics in the bulk, the behavior of block copolymers in the confined state has been of great interest. Although random and graft copolymers have been used in polymer-layered silicate nanocomposites, well-defined block copolymers have received relatively little attention. In this study, the kinetics of intercalation of a series of poly(styrene-b-isoprene) block copolymers into a layered silicate were examined via X-ray diffraction. Intercalation was observed even when the copolymer was in the ordered state, with no discontinuity around the order–disorder transition of the copolymer. As the size of the polystyrene block was increased, slower intercalation kinetics were observed, possibly because of the increased glass-transition temperature of the polystyrene segment. Finally, the clearing temperature of the copolymer in the nanocomposites as measured by small-angle X-ray scattering showed a large heating-rate dependence suggesting that the nanoparticles act as kinetics barriers to the disordering of the copolymer. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 41: 3264–3271, 2003     

Association behavior of fluorine-containing and non-fluorine-containing methacrylate-based amphiphilic diblock copolymer in aqueous media

Fluorine-containing amphiphilic block copolymers, poly(sodium methacrylate)-block-poly(nonafluorohexyl methacrylate) (NaMAm-b-NFHMAn) (m:n = 61:12, 72:33, 64:57), and the corresponding non-fluorine-containing amphiphilic block copolymer, poly(sodium methacrylate)-block-poly(hexyl methacrylate) (NaMAm-b-HMAn) (m:n = 64:10, 69:37, 67:50), were synthesized. Both polyNaMA-b-polyNFHMA and polyNaMA-b-polyHMA formed micelles above critical micelle concentrations, (cmc's), around 3 x 10(-5) to 1 x 10(-4) mol/L, while neither polymer decreased surface tension of aqueous solutions. The size and shape of the micelles were examined by dynamic light scattering, small-angle neutron scattering, and small-angle X-ray scattering. PolyNaMA-b-polyHMA appeared to form only spherical micelles, while polyNaMA-b-polyNFHMA with a long NFHMA segment formed both spherical and rodlike micelles. The micelles of fluorine-containing block copolymers were obviously larger than those of non-fluorine-containing block copolymers with the same chain length and the same hydrophilic/hydrophobic chain ratio. The fluorine-containing block copolymer selectively solubilized fluorinated dye into the water phase when a mixture of decafluorobiphenyl and 2,6-dimethylnaphthalene was added to the micelle solution.     

Langmuir monolayer and Langmuir–Blodgett films of amphiphilic triblock copolymers with water-soluble middle block

Langmuir monolayers and Langmuir–Blodgett (LB) film morphology of amphiphilic triblock copolymers are studied using surface pressure-area measurements and atomic force microscopy (AFM), respectively. The triblock copolymers are composed of long water-soluble poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) chains as middle block with very short poly(perfluorohexylethyl methacrylate) (PFMA) end blocks. The surface pressure-area isotherms show phase transitions in the brush regime. This phase transition is due to a rearrangement of PFMA block at the air–water interface. It becomes more significant with increasing PFMA content in the copolymer. LB films transferred at low surface pressures from the air–water interface to hydrophilic silicon substrates show surface micelles in the size range of 50–100 nm. A typical crystalline morphology of the corresponding PEO homopolymer is observed in LB films of copolymers with very short PFMA blocks, transferred in the brush region at high surface pressure. This crystallization is hindered with increasing PFMA content in the copolymer.     

Influence of amphiphilic block copolymers on lyotropic liquid crystals in water-oil-surfactant systems

In ternary water-oil-nonionic alkyl polyglycol ether (C(i)E(j)) microemulsions, an increase in efficiency is always accompanied by the formation of a lamellar (L(alpha)) phase. The addition of an amphiphilic block copolymer to the ternary base system increases the efficiency of the microemulsion drastically while suppressing--at least partly--the formation of the L(alpha) phase. However, amphiphilic block copolymers can be used not only to suppress the formation of lyotropic liquid crystals but also for the opposite effect, namely, to induce their formation. To understand to what extent the increase in efficiency is accompanied by the formation of lyotropic liquid crystals, we studied phase diagrams of water-n-alkane-n-alkyl polyglycol ethers (C(i)E(j))-PEPX-PEOY at a constant volume fraction of oil in the water/oil mixture. Using polymers of the poly(ethylene propylene)-copoly(ethylene oxide) type, with M(PEP) = X kg mol(-1) and M(PEO) = Y kg mol(-1), we determined phase diagrams as a function of the polymer concentration, size, and symmetry. Moreover, the influence of a particular polymer mixture was studied, which turned out to be the best system if both a high efficiency and a low tendency to form an L(alpha) phase are needed.     

两亲性嵌段聚醚酯在空气-水界面上的Langmuir单分子膜

聚醚酯是一种新型弹性材料,目前已成为工业化产品[1].对这种嵌段聚醚酯的合成和弹性行为[2]、熔体的流变性能[3]、以及纤维在拉伸状态下的聚集态结构和分子运动[4]已有一些报道.     

Biodegradable and stimuli sensitive amphiphilic graft copolymers and their sol–gel phase transition behavior

pH and temperature‐sensitive biodegradable poly(β‐aminoester)‐graft‐poly(ε‐caprolactone)‐block‐methoxy poly(ethylene glycol) (PBAE‐g‐PCL‐b‐mPEG) amphiphilic graft copolymers with different molecular weights were synthesized. The structure of these copolymers was adjusted by varying the feed ratios of ε‐caprolactone to methoxy poly(ethylene glycol)s (mPEG), amine and diacrylate monomer amounts and the molecular weight of mPEG. Aqueous solutions of these copolymers formed micelles at lower concentrations; however, the concentrated solutions showed a reversible sol–gel transition property depending on both pH and temperature changes under representative physiological conditions (pH 7.4, 37°C). The effects of the molecular weight of pH‐sensitive poly(β‐aminoester) block and mPEG group, the hydrophobic to hydrophilic block ratio (PCL/mPEG) and the concentration of the copolymer on the sol–gel transition were investigated. Proton nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H NMR) and gel permeation chromatography measurements were used to characterize the structure of the synthesized copolymers. The self‐assemble behavior and critical micelle concentration of the amphiphilic copolymers were estimated in phosphate buffer solution using fluorescence spectroscopy. The gelling behavior was measured by using tube inversion method. At pH 7.4, all copolymer solutions prepared 20 wt% concentration indicated sol–gel transition with increasing temperature. In vitro degradation experiments displayed that the synthesized graft copolymers mostly degraded hydrolytically within 20 days under physiological conditions. In order to investigate the potential application of synthesized hydrogels in drug delivery, Methylene Blue was used and approximately 70% of the loaded amount was released in 120 hr. The findings indicate that obtained graft copolymers can be used as injectable biodegradable carriers for pharmaceutical drugs. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Phase‐transition characteristics of amphiphilic poly(2‐ethyl‐2‐oxazoline)/poly(ε‐caprolactone) block copolymers in aqueous solutions

Amphiphilic diblock and triblock copolymers of various block compositions based on hydrophilic poly(2‐ethyl‐2‐oxazoline) (PEtOz) and hydrophobic poly(ε‐caprolactone) were synthesized. The micelle formation of these block copolymers in aqueous media was confirmed by a fluorescence technique and dynamic light scattering. The critical micelle concentrations ranged from 35.5 to 4.6 mg/L for diblock copolymers and 4.7 to 9.0 mg/L for triblock copolymers, depending on the block composition. The phase‐transition behaviors of the block copolymers in concentrated aqueous solutions were investigated. When the temperature was increased, aqueous solutions of diblock and triblock copolymers exhibited gel–sol transition and precipitation, both of which were thermally reversible. The gel–sol transition‐ and precipitation temperatures were manipulated by adjustment of the block composition. As the hydrophobic portion of block copolymers became higher, a larger gel region was generated. In the presence of sodium chloride, the phase transitions were shifted to a lower temperature level. Sodium thiocyanate displaced the gel region and precipitation temperatures to a higher temperature level. The low molecular weight saccharides, such as glucose and maltose, contributed to the shift of phase‐transition temperatures to a lower temperature level, where glucose was more effective than maltose in lowering the gel–sol transition temperatures. The malonic acid that formed hydrogen bonds with the PEtOz shell of micelles was effective in lowering phase‐transition temperatures to 1.0M, above which concentration the block copolymer solutions formed complex precipitates. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 38: 2400–2408, 2000     

Pathways of polymeric vesicle formation

Polymeric vesicle formation is dictated by the mutual diffusion of water into the bulk block copolymer and vice versa. The hydration of three poly(ethylene oxide)-co-poly(butylene oxide) copolymers with different molecular weights has been monitored both macroscopically (confocal laser scanning microscopy) and microscopically (small-angle X-ray scattering). Both methods have revealed that the amphiphilic block copolymers swell in water following two qualitatively different growth regimes. Initially, water and copolymer diffuse into each other following a subdiffusional growth as the result of a molecular-level arrangement of the amphiphilic membranes that comprise the swollen copolymer. After a critical time, which is exponential in polymer molecular weight, the amphiphilic membranes reach their equilibrium morphology and as a consequence the growth starts to follow Fickian diffusion. The complex hydration kinetics dictate the phases formed at the interface between the amphiphilic copolymer and water. Upon hydration of simple amphiphiles, the amphiphilic film swells and the concentration gradient at the interface with water gradually drops to zero. This strongly affects the complex driving forces that control vesicle formation. Indeed, to form vesicles, an energy barrier has to be overcome, and therefore a constant concentration gradient is required. We show, by enhancing the hydration kinetics via an ac field, how the interface concentration gradient is kept constant and the magnitude of this gradient dictates the final size of the vesicles.     

Temperature‐dependent location of a weakly segregated block copolymer in binary blends of block copolymers

The phase behaviors of binary blends of poly(styrene‐b‐butadiene) block copolymers were investigated by a small‐angle X‐ray scattering technique. The blends were composed of weakly segregated one in a random micellar phase and the other in a cylindrical phase with similar molecular weights and complementary volume fractions. Morphologies, domain spacings, and order–disorder transition temperatures of the blends indicated that the junctions of the constituent block copolymers share the interface at low temperatures. The domain spacing decreased as temperature increased in a blend with a small amount of the weakly segregated block copolymer. In the cases of the blends with a large amount of the weakly segregated constituent, domain spacing increased with increasing temperature. These results implied that some of the weakly segregated block copolymer moved from the interface to one microdomain at higher temperatures. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2014 , 52, 470–476     

Thermodynamic‐Dependent Size‐Selection of ZnSe Nanoparticles in Amphiphilic Triblock Copolymer Systems

ZnSe colloidal nanoparticles prepared by the air‐insensitive starting reagents, zinc chloride and selenium powder, have been size‐selected in the Pluronic amphiphilic triblock copolymer [(EO)_x(PO)_y(EO)_x] systems. The size‐selection mechanism between the ZnSe nanoparticles and the triblock copolymers systems is a thermodynamic‐dependent effect. We observe that nanoparticles with special volume (Vs) are trapped first by the triblock copolymers due to the faster entropic depletion interaction arising from the addition of surfactant‐template (micelles) to colloidal nanoparticles. On the other hand, nanoparticles with sizes larger or smaller than Vs will not interact with the surfactant‐templates. They either precipitate quickly by gravity (larger than Vs) or still retain their thermal motion in the aqueous phase (smaller than Vs) when Vs nanoparticles are caught by the surfactant‐templates.