Water‐soluble acrylamide copolymers. VII. Preparation and characterization of poly(methacrylamide‐co‐acrylamide)

This article carries the objectives of our current acrylamide copolymer project further by examining the synthesis, characterization, and testing of a series of poly(methacrylamide‐co‐acrylamide)s and some homopolymer control products. These are characterized by traditional Fourier transform photoacoustic infrared, ¹³C NMR, and elemental analysis. A composite picture of the hydrodynamic volumes of the high molecular weight products was then obtained by a series of viscometric, gel permeation chromatographic, and multiangle laser light scattering methods. These give a good quantitative picture of the effect of the introduction of the backbone methyl group on the hydrodynamic volumes of the copolymer products. Yields were generally greater than 60%. The copolymer products generally had lower molecular weights than those obtained from the control polyacrylamide preparations. Copolymer samples with comparable molecular weights did have larger radii of gyration and intrinsic viscosities than samples of control polyacrylamides. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 3146–3160, 2000     

Water‐soluble acrylamide copolymers. VIII. Preparation and characterization of polyacrylamide‐co‐N‐t‐butylacrylamide

The preparation of a series of copolymers of N‐t‐butylacrylamide (NTBAM) with acrylamide (AM) is reported. The insolubility of NTBAM in water led to the testing of methanol, t‐butanol, and mixtures of these solvents with water to obtain effective copolymerization. Several of these polymerizations produced nonhomogeneous product mixtures. Samples of the components were separated and characterized by photoacoustic Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy. Hydrodynamic volumes of the products were obtained from solution‐viscosity measurements, gel permeation chromatography, and multi‐angle laser light scattering methods. The NTBAM‐co‐AM copolymers had degrees of polymerization and molecular weights in the 4.1–5.9 × 10⁴ monomer units and 3.25–4.5 × 10⁶ g/mol range, respectively. They contained from 15 to 36 mol % NTBAM. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 39: 1960–1977, 2001     

Water‐soluble acrylamide copolymers. IX. Preparation and characterization of the cationic derivatives of poly(acrylamide‐co‐n,n‐dimethylacrylamide), poly(acrylamide‐co‐methacrylamide), and poly(acrylamide‐co‐n‐t‐butylacrylamide)

This article extends the preparative details of a series of nonionic copolymers of acrylamide with N,N‐dimethylacrylamide, methacrylamide, and N‐t‐butylacrylamide to the synthesis of cationic derivatives of these new copolymers. The described procedures gave products with cationicities of 14–26 mol %. We measured the mean squared radii of gyration and intrinsic viscosities of aqueous solutions of these products at several different pHs and NaCl concentrations to compare these values with those determined for the nonionic precursors and related commercial cationic polymers. Because the molecular weights of the examples measured varied widely, it was difficult to establish definite trends. However, the large values obtained for the mean squared radii of gyration and intrinsic viscosities, relative to the nonionic precursors of these polymers, demonstrated that the charged groups had a qualitatively greater effect on polymer extension than the nonpolar bulky groups. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 39: 2525–2535, 2001     

Reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer synthesis of amidine‐based,CO2‐responsive homo and AB diblock (Co)polymers comprised of histamine and their gas‐triggered self‐assembly in water

Well‐defined homopolymers of pentafluorophenyl acrylate (PFPA) and AB diblock copolymers of N,N‐dimethylacrylamide (DMA) and poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether acrylate (PEGA) with PFPA were prepared by reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) radical polymerization. Three PFPA homopolymers of different molecular weights were reacted with the commercially available amidine and guanidine species histamine (HIS) dihydrochloride and L ‐arginine methyl ester (ARG) dihydrochloride in the presence of S‐methyl methanethiosulfonate to yield, quantitatively, the corresponding amidine and guanidine‐based acrylamido homopolymers. Both the HIS and ARG homopolymers are known to reversibly bind CO₂ with, in the case of the former, CO₂ fixation being accompanied with a switch from a hydrophobic to hydrophilic state. The RAFT synthesis of PFPA‐DMA and PEGA‐PFPA diblock copolymers yielded well‐defined materials with a range of molar compositions. These precursor materials were converted to the corresponding HIS and ARG block copolymers whose structure was confirmed using ¹H NMR spectroscopy. Employing a combination of dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy, we demonstrate that the DMA‐HIS and PEGA‐HIS diblock copolymers are able to undergo reversible and cyclable self‐directed assembly in aqueous media using CO₂ and N₂ as the triggers between fully hydrophilic and amphiphilic (assembled) states. For example, in the case of the 54:46 DMA‐HIS diblock, aggregates with hydrodynamic diameters of about 40.0 nm are readily formed from the molecularly dissolved state. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2013     

Diblock copolymers,micelles, and shell‐crosslinked nanoparticles containing poly(4‐fluorostyrene): Tools for detailed analyses of nanostructured materials

Amphiphilic core–shell nanostructures containing ¹⁹F stable isotopic labels located regioselectively within the core domain were prepared by a combination of atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP), supramolecular assembly, and condensation‐based crosslinking. Homopolymers and diblock copolymers containing 4‐fluorostyrene and methyl acrylate were prepared by ATRP, hydrolyzed, assembled into micelles, and converted into shell‐crosslinked nanoparticles (SCKs) by covalent stabilization of the acrylic acid residues in the shell. The ATRP‐based polymerizations, producing the homopolymers and diblock copolymers, were initiated by (1‐bromoethyl)benzene in the presence of CuBr metal and employed N,N,N′,N″,N″‐pentamethyldiethylenetriamine as the coordinating ligand for controlled polymerizations at 75–90 °C for 1–3 h. Number‐average molecular weights ranged from 2000 to 60,000 Da, and molecular weight distributions, generally less than 1.1 and 1.2, were achieved for the homopolymers and diblock copolymers, respectively. Methyl acrylate conversions as high as 70% were possible, without observable chain–chain coupling reactions or molecular weight distribution broadening, when bromoalkyl‐terminated poly(4‐fluorostyrene) was used as the macroinitiator. Poly(4‐fluorostyrene), incorporated as the second segment in the diblock copolymer synthesis, was initiated from a bromoalkyl‐terminated poly(methyl acrylate) macroinitiator. After hydrolysis of the poly(methyl acrylate) block segments, micelles were formed from the resulting amphiphilic block copolymers in aqueous solutions and were then stabilized by covalent intramicellar crosslinking throughout the poly(acrylic acid) shells to yield SCKs. The SCK nanostructures on solid substrates were visualized by atomic force microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Dynamic light scattering was used to probe the effects of crosslinking on the resulting hydrodynamic diameters of nanoparticles in aqueous and buffered solutions. The presence of fluorine atoms in the diblock copolymers and resulting SCK nanostructures allowed for characterization by ¹⁹F NMR in addition to ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, and IR spectroscopy. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 39: 4152–4166, 2001     

Synthesis of tertiary amine‐based pH‐responsive polymers by RAFT Polymerization

Well‐defined tertiary amine‐based pH‐responsive homopolymers and block copolymers were synthesized via reversible addition‐fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization using 4‐cyanopentanoic acid dithiobenzoate (CPAD) as the RAFT agent for homopolymers and a poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) macro‐RAFT agent for the block copolymers. ¹H NMR and gel permeation chromatography results confirmed the successful synthesis of these homopolymers and block copolymers. Kinetics studies indicated that the formation of both the homopolymers and the block copolymers were well defined. The pKa titration experiments suggested that the homopolymers and the related block copolymers have a similar pKa. The dynamic light scattering investigation showed that all of the block copolymers underwent a sharp transition from unimers to micelles around their pKa and the hydrodynamic diameter (D_h) was not only dependent on the molecular weight but also on the composition of the block copolymers. The polymer solution of PEG‐b‐PPPDEMA formed the largest micelle compare to the PEG‐b‐PDPAEMA and PEG‐b‐PDBAEMA with a similar molecular weight. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2015 , 53, 1010–1022     

Flexibilized styrene‐N‐substituted maleimide copolymers. I. Multiblock copolymers prepared from styrene‐maleimide telechelics and polytetrahydrofuran

Telechelic copolymers of styrene and different N‐substituted‐maleimides (SMIs) with a molecular weight of 2000–8000 g/mol were synthesized using the starved‐feed‐reactor technique and were nearly bifunctional when the monomer feed had a high styrene concentration. The COOH‐terminated rigid SMI blocks were polycondensated with OH‐terminated poly(tetrahydrofuran) (PTHF) blocks, with a molecular weight of 250–1000 g/mol, which are the flexible parts in the generated homogeneous multiblock copolymer. The entanglement density, which is closely related to the toughness of materials, increased in these flexible SMI copolymers (ν_e = 5.2 · 10²⁵ m⁻³) compared to the unflexibilized ones (ν_e = 2.4 · 10²⁵ m⁻³). The glass transition temperature of these flexibilized, single‐phase multiblock copolymers was still high enough to qualify them as engineering plastics. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 3550–3557, 2000     

Preparation by controlled radical polymerization and self‐assembly via base‐recognition of synthetic polymers bearing complementary nucleobases

The radical polymerization of three monomers bearing nucleobases 1‐(4‐vinylbenzyl)thymine (VBT), 1‐(4‐vinylbenzyl)uracil (VBU) and 9‐(4‐vinylbenzyl)adenine (VBA) was investigated. The corresponding homopolymers could be prepared in high yields via conventional radical polymerization. However, the resulting polymers were found to be only soluble in a few polar solvents. On the other hand, copolymers of dodecyl methacrylate (DMA) with either VBT or VBA could be prepared via both free radical polymerization and atom transfer radical polymerization and could be dissolved in a large variety of organic solvents. Moreover, the formed complementary copolymers P(VBT‐co‐DMA) and P(VBA‐co‐DMA) were found to self‐assemble in dilute solutions in dioxane or chloroform via base recognition, as evidenced by a significant hypochromicity effect in UV spectroscopy. Nevertheless, at higher concentrations in chloroform, both dynamic light scattering and optical microscopy indicate that P(VBT‐co‐DMA), P(VBA‐co‐DMA), or P(VBT‐co‐DMA)/P(VBA‐co‐DMA) mixtures spontaneously self‐assemble into micron size spherical aggregates. ¹H NMR and FTIR studies confirmed that the self‐assembly process is driven in all cases via H‐bond formation. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 4805–4818, 2005     

Novel thermoresponsive fluorinated double‐hydrophilic poly{[N‐(2,2‐difluoroethyl)acrylamide]‐b‐[N‐(2‐fluoroethyl)acrylamide]} block copolymers

Novel thermoresponsive double‐hydrophilic fluorinated block copolymers were successfully synthesized by reversible addition‐fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. Poly[N‐(2,2‐difluoroethyl)acrylamide] (P2F) was synthesized via RAFT polymerization of N‐(2,2‐difluoroethyl)acrylamide (M2F) using 2‐dodecylsulfanylthiocarbonylsulfanyl‐2‐methylpropionic acid (DMP) as the chain transfer agent (CTA) and 2,2′‐azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) as the initiator. The resulting P2F macroCTA was further chain extended with N‐(2‐fluoroethyl)acrylamide (M1F) to yield poly{[N‐(2,2‐difluoroethyl)acrylamide]‐b‐[N‐(2‐fluoroethyl)acrylamide]} (P2F‐b‐P1F) block copolymers with different lengths of the P1F block. Molecular weight and molecular weight distribution were determined by gel permeation chromatography. The average molecular weight (M_n) of the resulting polymers ranged from 2.9 × 10⁴ to 5.8 × 10⁴ depending on the length of the P1F block. The molecular weight distribution was low (M_w/M_n = 1.11–1.19). Turbidimetry by UV‐Visble (UV‐Vis) spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, and in situ temperature‐dependent ¹H NMR measurements demonstrated that the P2F block underwent a thermal transition from hydrophilic to hydrophobic, which in turn induced self‐assembly from unimers to aggregates. Transmission electron microscopy studies demonstrated that polymeric aggregates formed from an aqueous solution of P2F‐b‐P1F at 60 °C were disrupted by cooling down to 20 °C and regenerated by heating to 60 °C. Temperature‐triggered release of a model hydrophobic drug, coumarin 102, was also demonstrated. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2013     

Synthesis of poly(D,L‐lactic acid‐alt‐glycolic acid) from D,L‐3‐methylglycolide

D ,L ‐3‐Methylglycolide (MG) was synthesized via two step reactions with a good yield (42%). It was successfully polymerized in bulk with stannous octoate as a catalyst at 110 °C. The effects of the polymerization time and catalyst concentration on the molecular weight and monomer conversion were studied. Poly(D ,L ‐lactic acid‐co‐glycolic acid) (D ,L ‐PLGA50; 50/50 mol/mol) copolymers were successfully synthesized from the homopolymerization of MG with high polymerization rates and high monomer conversions under moderate polymerization conditions. ¹H NMR spectroscopy indicated that the bulk ring‐opening polymerization of MG conformed to the coordination–insertion mechanism. ¹³C NMR spectra of D ,L ‐PLGA50 copolymers obtained under different experimental conditions revealed that the copolymers had alternating structures of lactyl and glycolyl. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 4179–4184, 2000     

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

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 ¹H 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 °C) of the copolymers were determined using differential scanning calorimetry and thermal gravimetric analysis, respectively. The T_gs of the LauMA homopolymers were found to be around ?53 °C. Block copolymers exhibited two T_gs suggesting microphase separation in the bulk whereas the statistical copolymer presented a single T_g as expected. Furthermore, the micellization behavior of pLauMA‐b‐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. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 5442–5451, 2008     

Tuning the sugar‐response of boronic acid block copolymers

A detailed study of the pH‐ and sugar‐responsive behavior of poly(3‐acrylamidophenylboronic acid pinacol ester)‐b‐poly(N,N‐dimethylacrylamide) (PAPBAE‐b‐PDMA) block copolymers is presented. Reversible addition‐fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization of the pinacol ester of 3‐acrylamidophenylboronic acid resulted in homopolymers with molecular weights between 12,000 and 37,000 g/mol. The resulting homopolymers were employed as macro‐chain transfer agents during the polymerization of N,N‐dimethylacrylamide (DMA). Successful chain extension and removal of the pinacol protecting groups to yield poly(3‐acrylamidophenylboronic acid)‐b‐PDMA (PAPBA‐b‐PDMA) with free boronic acid moieties resulted in pH‐ and sugar‐responsive block copolymers that were subsequently investigated for their behavior in aqueous solution. The PAPBA‐b‐PDMA block copolymers were capable of solution self‐assembly due to the PAPBA block being water‐insoluble below its pK_a. The resulting aggregates were demonstrated to solubilize and release model hydrophobic compounds, as demonstrated by fluorescence studies. Dissociation of the aggregates was induced by raising the pH above the pK_a of the boronic acid residues or by adding sugars capable of forming boronate esters. Aggregate size, dissociation kinetics, and the effect of various sugars were considered. The critical sugar concentration needed to induce aggregate dissociation was tuned by incorporation of hydrophilic DMA units within the PAPBA responsive segment to yield PDMA‐b‐poly(3‐acrylamidophenylboronic acid‐co‐DMA) block copolymers. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

Polyampholyte terpolymers of amphoteric,amino acid‐based monomers with acrylamide and (3‐acrylamidopropyl)trimethyl ammonium chloride

Low‐charge‐density amphoteric copolymers and terpolymers composed of acrylamide, (3‐acrylamidopropyl)trimethyl ammonium chloride, and the amino acid derived monomers (e.g., N‐acryloyl valine, N‐acryloyl alanine, and N‐acryloyl aspartate) were prepared via free‐radical polymerization in aqueous media to yield terpolymers with random charge distributions and homogeneous compositions. Sodium formate (NaOOCH) was employed as a chain transfer agent during the polymerization to suppress gel effects and broadening of the molecular weight distribution. Terpolymer compositions were determined by ¹³C and ¹H NMR spectroscopy. Terpolymer molecular weights and polydispersity indices were obtained via size exclusion chromatography/multi‐angle laser light scattering, and hydrodynamic diameter values were obtained via dynamic light scattering. The solution properties of low‐charge‐density amphoteric copolymers and terpolymers have been studied as a function of solution pH, ionic strength, and polymer concentration. The low‐charge‐density terpolymers display excellent solubility in deionized (DI) water with no phase separation. The charge‐balanced terpolymers exhibit antipolyelectrolyte behavior at pH values ≥(6.5 ± 0.2). As solution pH is decreased, these charge‐balanced terpolymers become increasingly cationic because of the protonation of the anionic repeat units. Charge‐imbalanced terpolymers generally demonstrate polyelectrolyte behavior, although the effects of intramolecular electrostatic interactions (e.g., polyampholyte effects) on the hydrodynamic volume are evident at certain values of solution pH and salt concentration. The aqueous solution behavior (i.e., globule‐to‐coil transition at the isoelectric point in the presence of salt and globule elongation with increasing charge asymmetry) of the terpolymers in the dilute regime correlates well with that predicted by the polyampholyte solution theories of Dobrynin and Rubinstein as well as Kantor and Kardar. Examination of comonomer charge density, hydrogen‐bonding ability, and spacer group (e.g., the moiety separating the ionic group from the polymer chain) indicates that conformational restrictions of the amino acid comonomers result in increased chain stiffness and higher solution viscosities in DI water and brine solutions. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 4479–4493, 2006     

Sulfobetaine‐containing diblock and triblock copolymers via reversible addition‐fragmentation chain transfer polymerization in aqueous media

A novel bifunctional acrylamido‐based reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) chain‐transfer agent (CTA), N,N′‐ethylenebis[2‐(thiobenzoylthio)propionamide] (CTA2), has been synthesized and used for the controlled free‐radical polymerization of N,N‐dimethylacrylamide (DMA). A comparative study of CTA2 and the monofunctional CTA N,N‐dimethyl‐s‐thiobenzoylthiopropionamide (CTA1) has been conducted. Polymerizations mediated by CTA1 result in poly(N,N‐dimethylacrylamide) (PDMA) homopolymers with unimodal molecular weight distributions, whereas CTA2 yields unimodal, bimodal, and trimodal distributions according to the extent of conversion. The multimodal nature of the PDMAs has been attributed to termination events and/or chains initiated by primary radicals. The RAFT polymerization of DMA with CTA2 also results in a prolonged induction period that may be attributed to the higher local concentration of dithioester functionalities early in the polymerization. A series of ω‐ and α,ω‐dithioester‐capped PDMAs have been prepared in organic media and subsequently employed as macro‐CTAs for the synthesis of diblock and triblock copolymers in aqueous media with the zwitterionic monomer 3‐[2‐(N‐methylacrylamido)‐ethyldimethylammonio] propane sulfonate (MAEDAPS). Additionally, an ω‐dithioester‐capped MAEDAPS homopolymer has been used as a macro‐CTA for the block polymerization of DMA. To our knowledge, this is the first example of a near‐monodisperse, sulfobetaine‐containing block copolymer prepared entirely in aqueous media. The diblock and triblock copolymers form aggregates in pure water that can be dissociated by the addition of salt, as determined by ¹H NMR spectroscopy and dynamic light scattering. In pure water, highly uniform, micellelike aggregates with hydrodynamic diameters of 71–93 nm are formed. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 1262–1281, 2003     

Synthesis,characterization, and properties of copolymer of acrylamide and complex pseudorotaxane monomer consisting of cucurbit[6]uril with butyl ammonium methacrylate

The novel copolymers of acrylamide (AM) with complex pseudorotaxane monomer (BAMACB) of butyl ammonium methacrylate (BAMA) and cucurbit[6]uril (CB[6]) were prepared via free‐radical polymerization in aqueous solution. The copolymers containing pseudorotaxane (PAM/BAMACB) were characterized by ¹H‐NMR, FTIR, elemental analysis, TGA, and DSC. The glass transition temperature (T_g) of the copolymer PAM/BAMACB are higher than that of the copolymer of acrylamide and butyl ammonium methacrylate (PAM/BAMA) because of the enhanced rigidity and the bulky steric hindrance of BAMACB side chain in PAM/BAMACB. The molecular weights of copolymer PAM/BAMACB were obtained via static light scattering. The hydrodynamic radii of coils or aggregates were investigated by dynamic light scattering. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 5999–6008, 2008     

Graft copolymerization ofN‐vinyl‐pyrrolidone and acrylamide on cellulose derivatives: synthesis,characterization and study of their biological effect

Graft copolymers of carboxymethyl cellulose and hydroxyethyl cellulose with N‐vinyl‐2‐pyrrolidone and acrylamide have been synthesized by grafting copolymer of N‐vinyl‐2‐pyrrolidone and acrylamide onto a mixture of carboxymethyl cellulose and hydroxyethyl cellulose by a solution polymerization technique using a redox initiation system. The graft copolymers were characterized by ¹³C‐NMR spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. These graft copolymers have been tested for their biodegradability and biological activity. None of the graft copolymer solutions shows any microbial degradation up to 10 days. The reported results are evidence of the possibility of anti‐fungi effect. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis and properties of poly(sulfone‐arylate) copolymers

Poly(sulfone‐arylate) was synthesized in a reaction between dihydroxy polysulfone prepolymers and either diphenyl terephthalate or terephthaloyl chloride. The dihydroxy polysulfone prepolymers had molecular weights of 2000 and 4000 g/mol. The polymerization with diphenyl terephthalate was carried out at high temperature (280 °C) in the presence of a catalyst, whereas the polymerization with terephthalic chloride was conducted in solution at low temperature in the presence of an acid acceptor. High‐molecular weight copolymers (η_inh ～ 0.60 dL/g) could be obtained through both methods. The copolymers were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance, DMA, and differential scanning calorimetry measurements and were found to exhibit high T_g values. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 3904–3913, 2009     

Water-soluble copolymers. XLII. Cationic polyelectrolytes of acrylamide and 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanetrimethylammonium chloride

The new monomer 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanetrimethylammonium chloride (AMP-TAC, M₂) has been synthesized. Free radical copolymerization with acrylamide (AM, M₁) in feed ratios varying from 10 to 50 mol % AMPTAC gave the cationic ATAM series. Copolymer compositions were determined from ¹³C-NMR. The reactivity ratio product r₁r₂ was found to be 0.62. Molecular weights varied from 1.4 to 16.5 × 10⁶ g/mol for the copolymers. Turbidimetric studies showed aqueous solutions of the copolymers to be phase stable in the presence of CaCl₂ and Na₂CO₃ up to 100°C. Solution behavior was independent of pH in the range of 3 to 11, and temperature in the range of 25 to 60°C. Intrinsic viscosities of the cationic copolymers decreased with the addition of electrolytes; however, some samples showed curvature in plots of intrinsic viscosity versus the inverse square root of ionic strength. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

The surface tension of aqueous poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-acrylamide)

A series of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-acrylamide) copolymers with N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) to acrylamide (AM) ratios varying from 95/05 to 10/90 was synthesized and surface tensions, cloud point temperatures, and enthalpies of phase separation were measured. At 25°C, 1 wt % poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) homopolymer has a surface tension of 41.8 mJ/m². Incorporation of AM moieties in the copolymer increased surface tension approaching the limiting value of 65.3 mJ/m² which was obtained for polyacrylamide solutions. The surface tension values of copolymer solutions were predicted from the surface tensions of the homopolymers applied to a one-parameter model analogous to the Margules model for the excess free energy of mixing. Heats of phase separation for the copolymer were less than expected compared with PNIPAM homopolymer. It was proposed that NIPAM moieties directly bonded to acrylamide did not contribute to the enthalpy of phase separation. Finally, surface tension lowering kinetics were slower above the cloud point temperatures because at high temperatures the copolymers were present as colloidally dispersed particles which had to diffuse to the air/water interface, unwrap, and spread to give an adsorbed monolayer. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 2137–2143, 1999     

Synthesis and characterization of poly(arylene ether)s containing 6‐(4‐hydroxyphenyl)pyridazin‐3(2H)‐one or 6‐(4‐hydroxyphenyl)pyridazine moieties

A series of novel soluble pyridazinone‐ or pyridazine‐containing poly(arylene ether)s were prepared by a polycondensation reaction. The pyridazinone monomer, 6‐(4‐hydroxyphenyl)pyridazin‐3(2H)‐one ( 1 ), was synthesized from the corresponding acetophenone and glyoxylic acid in a simple one‐pot reaction. The pyridazinone monomer was successfully copolymerized with bisphenol A (BPA) or 1,2‐dihydro‐4‐(4‐hydroxyphenyl)phthalazin‐1(2H)‐one (DHPZ) and bis(4‐fluorophenyl)sulfone to form high‐molecular‐weight polymers. The copolymers had inherent viscosities of 0.5–0.9 dL/g. The glass‐transition temperatures (T_g's) of the copolymers synthesized with BPA increased with increasing content of the pyridazinone monomer. The T_g's of the copolymers synthesized from DHPZ with different pyridazinone contents were similar to those of the two homopolymers. The homopolymers showed T_g's from 202 to 291 °C by differential scanning calorimetry. The 5% weight loss temperatures in nitrogen measured by thermogravimetric analysis were in the range of 411–500 °C. 4‐(6‐Chloropyridazin‐3‐yl)phenol ( 2 ) was synthesized from 1 via a simple one‐pot reaction. 2 was copolymerized with 4,4′‐isopropylidenediphenol and bis(4‐fluorophenyl)sulfone to form high‐T_g polymers. The copolymers with less than 80 mol % pyridazinone or chloropyridazine monomers were soluble in chlorinated solvents such as chloroform. The copolymers with higher pyridazinone contents and homopolymers were not soluble in chlorinated solvents but were still soluble in dipolar aprotic solvents such as N‐methylpyrrolidinone. The soluble polymers could be cast into flexible films from solution. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 3328–3335, 2006