The separation of racemic crystals into enantiomers by chiral block copolymers

A series of chiral double hydrophilic block copolymers (DHBCs) was synthesized and employed as additives in the crystallization of calcium tartrate tetrahydrate (CaT). We found that appropriate polymers can slow down the formation of the thermodynamically most stable racemic crystals as well as the formation of one of the pure enantiomeric crystals so that chiral separation by crystallization occurs even when racemic crystals can be formed. In addition, the presence of DHBCs results in major modifications of crystal morphology, creating unusual morphologies of higher complexity. Our study demonstrates the potential application of chiral DHBCs in the control of chirality throughout crystallization, in particular for racemic crystal systems, and also shows that enantiomeric excess of one enantiomer can be maximized by the kinetic control of crystallization.     

Polymer dispersions as intermediate state during the synthesis of specialty polymers

Heterophase polymerization in combination with ceric ion redox initiation offers some unique features with respect to the preparation of block copolymers and block copolymer particles. Various kinds of amphiphilic multi-block copolymers as well as electrosterically or sterically stabilized particles are easy accessible. A special feature of these particles is that they may consists of two different hydrophilic blocks and thus, leading to particles with a structured hydrophilic shell. The amphiphilic multiblock copolymers are used to form a new class of polymer dispersions by self-organization so-called polymeric colloidal complexes. In general, the particles of these complexes are structured and exhibit very often multiple morphologies. This principle of formation of polymer colloids is an easy way to prepare particles with an unusual morphology such as Janus-type particles.     

Nanosized amorphous calcium carbonate stabilized by poly(ethylene oxide)-b-poly(acrylic acid) block copolymers

Particles of amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC), formed in situ from calcium chloride by the slow release of carbon dioxide by alkaline hydrolysis of dimethyl carbonate in water, are stabilized against coalescence in the presence of very small amounts of double hydrophilic block copolymers (DHBCs) composed of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) blocks. Under optimized conditions, spherical particles of ACC with diameters less than 100 nm and narrow size distribution are obtained at a concentration of only 3 ppm of PEO-b-PAA as additive. Equivalent triblock or star DHBCs are compared to diblock copolymers. The results are interpreted assuming an interaction of the PAA blocks with the surface of the liquid droplets of the concentrated CaCO3 phase, formed by phase separation from the initially homogeneous reaction mixture. The adsorption layer of the block copolymer protects the liquid precursor of ACC from coalescence and/or coagulation.     

Superstructures of temporarily stabilized nanocrystalline CaCO3 particles: morphological control via water surface tension variation

In this paper, the formation of different complex morphologies of nanocrystalline CaCO3 under the control of double hydrophilic block copolymers (DHBCs) carrying phosphate groups is described. The DHBCs consist of a poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) block and a pendant poly[2-(2-hydroxy ethyl)ethylene] block with different degrees of phosphorylation up to 40%, some of which show surface activity. The polymers furthermore temporarily stabilize CaCO3 nanocrystals, which are formed by slow CO2 evaporation from a supersaturated Ca(HCO3)2 solution (Kitano method). The polymers are active down to concentrations of 10(-4) g/L. In dependence of the nature and concentration of the DHBC, tunable complex shuttlecock flowerlike and other superstructures are formed, which are aggregates of CaCO3 vaterite nanoparticles with an enhanced stability of at least 2 months. It is shown that the aggregation starts around template CO2 gas bubbles at the air/water interface. The size and morphology of the growing aggregates depends on the polymer concentration, phosphorylation degree, and water surface tension. The latter determines when the aggregate sinks to the bottom, interrupting the further growth process. Variation of the water surface tension by addition of the nonionic surfactant Antharox CO880 also allows a variation of the aggregate morphology, thus implying the described method as simple and versatile for the generation of complex CaCO3 morphologies.     

全亲水性嵌段共聚物及其超分子自组装

本文介绍了全亲水性嵌段共聚物(DHBCs)的定义与特点.根据不同的环境敏感自组装机理,分类详述了不同DHBCs的结构及其超分子自组装行为,并探讨了相应的应用现状与前景.     

Multicompartment Micelles From π-Shaped ABC Block Copolymers

Dissipative particle dynamics simulations were performed on the morphology and structure of multicompartmerit micelles formed from n-shaped ABC block copolymers in water. The influences of chain architectures were studied in a systematic way, and a rich variety of morphologies were observed, such as spherical, wormlike, X-shaped, Y-shaped, ribbon-like, layered rod-like, layered disk-like, as well as network morphologies. The simulations show that the distance between the two grafts plays an important role in control of the morphology. Since n-shaped ABC block copolymers can be reduced to linear ABC and star ABC block copolymers, they are good model copolymers for studying the self-assembly of complex block copolymers into micelles. The knowledge obtained in this work as well as the new morphologies identified provide useful information for future rational design and synthesis of novel multicompartment micelles.     

Double hydrophilic block copolymers with switchable secondary structure as additives for crystallization control

The synthesis and folding behavior of two different series of double hydrophilic block copolymers based on polyethyleneglycol and short acidic polypeptide blocks are described. The employment of those species in the crystallization of CaCO₃ and BaSO₄ shows that in contrast to the expectations from biomineral examples, a random conformation of the peptide is more advantageous in mineralization control than an -helical arrangement of the same chain, which is contradictory to the epitaxial adsorption model in biomineralization. Otherwise, the peptide block copolymers support formation of superstructures similar to those already reported, e.g. well-defined spherical, prolate, and dumbbell morphologies are found.     

两亲性嵌段共聚物PS-b-PMAA的合成与胶束化行为研究

利用原子转移自由基聚合法(ATRP)得到了分子量可控、分子量分布接近1.1的聚苯乙烯-b-聚甲基丙烯酸叔丁酯(PS-b-PtBMA)嵌段共聚物, 进而在酸性条件下由水解反应得到了两亲性的聚苯乙烯-b-聚甲基丙烯酸 (PS-b-PMAA)嵌段共聚物．用GPC, FTIR和¹H-NMR等对产物的分子量和组成进行了表征．使PS-b-PMAA在选择性溶剂中进行自组装, 通过激光光散射和透射电子显微镜研究了影响其胶束化行为的因素与胶束形态, 并初步探讨了胶束形成的机理, 发现通过控制嵌段共聚物的链段长度之比可得到空心球形的高分子胶束．     

Synthesis of DL-alanine hollow tubes and core-shell mesostructures

Three double hydrophilic block copolymers were used as crystal-growth modifiers of DL-alanine to generate amorphous precursor nanoparticles that undergo subsequent mesoscopic transformation to core-shell mesostructures and hollow tubes with quadratic cross-sections. The growth sequence can be stopped at various stages so that a series of intermediates between amorphous core- and crystalline-shell particles and tubes can be obtained. Time-dependent conductivity, TEM, SEM, and environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) measurements were used to obtain a better understanding of the crystallization process, and a formation mechanism for the generation of the tubes is proposed. Na2SO4, NaCl, and NaNO3 as salts differ in their influence on the crystallization behavior of alanine by changing the solubility of alanine and by decreasing the stability of the intermediate particles. Core-shell mesostructures that formed in the dissolution-recrystallization process were captured as the transformation rate was decreased by the addition of copolymers or salts. Hollow tubes with quadratic cross-sections are the final product of the transformation process.     

Synthesis and Self-Assembly Behaviors of Four-Arm Star Block Copolymers Poly(ϵ-caprolactone)-b-poly(2- (diethylamino) ethyl methacrylate)) in Aqueous Solution

Four-arm star block polymers consisting of hydrophobic poly(?-caprolactone) (PCL) block and hydrophilic poly(2-(diethylamino) ethyl methacrylate)) (PDEAEMA) block were successfully synthesized by ring opening polymerization (ROP) and atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). Chain lengths of PDEAEMA segments were varied to obtain a series of star copolymers with different hydrophilic/hydrophobic ratio, which were desired for self-assembly study. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) and transmission electron microscopic (TEM) were used to study their self-assembly behavior. In the PBS solution with different pH value, the star polymers formed micelles or nanoparticles. Furthermore, the morphologies of the micelles were also pH-dependent. Critical micelle concentrations of star copolymers changed from 5.0 to 17.5 mg/L with the increase of hydrophilic block length or the pH decrease. Moreover, a steady increase was found on the micelles diameters when the pH decreased from 7.0 to 3.0. The low CMC value and slight changes on micelle diameter indicated that the micelle remained stable under the changing external stimulus.     

超支化双亲水性嵌段共聚物对CaCO3结晶影响的研究

采用合成的聚乙二醇-超支化聚酯(PEG-hb-DMPA)的线性-超支化杂化二嵌段共聚物, 探讨了羧端基树状功能化的杂化嵌段共聚物对CaCO₃结晶的影响，并用FTIR、XRD、SEM等对产物进行了表征。结果表明，羧端基的双亲水性嵌段共聚物对CaCO₃结晶形貌乃至晶型均具有显著调控作用，比较高的浓度(1.67 g·L^-1, >10 min)或较低浓度作用较长时间(0.33 g·L^-1, 24 h)均得到了呈较均匀球粒形态的球霰石CaCO₃结晶。     

Langmuir and Langmuir-Blodgett films of poly(ethylene oxide)-b-poly(epsilon-caprolactone) star-shaped block copolymers

Self-assembly of poly(ethylene oxide)-block-poly(epsilon-caprolactone) five-arm stars (PEO-b-PCL) was studied at the air/water (A/W) interface. The block copolymers consist of a hydrophilic PEO core with hydrophobic PCL chains at the star periphery. All the polymers have the same number of ethylene oxide repeat units (9 per arm), and the number of epsilon-caprolactone repeat units ranges from 0 to 18 per arm. The Langmuir monolayers were analyzed by surface pressure/mean molecular area isotherms, compression-expansion hysteresis experiments, and isobaric relaxation measurements, and the Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films' morphologies were investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM). PCL homopolymers crystallize directly at the A/W interface in a narrow surface pressure range (11-15 mN/m). In the same pressure region, the star-shaped block copolymers undergo a phase transition corresponding to the collapse and the crystallization of the PCL chains as shown by the presence of a pseudoplateau in the isotherms. The LB films were prepared by transferring the Langmuir monolayers onto mica substrates at various surface pressures. AFM imaging confirmed the formation of PCL crystals in the LB monolayers of the PCL homopolymers and of the copolymers, but also showed that the PCL segments can undergo additional crystallization after monolayer transfer during water evaporation. The PCL crystal morphologies were also strongly influenced by the surface pressure and by the PEO segments.     

Dissipative particle dynamics simulations of toroidal structure formations of amphiphilic triblock copolymers

In this paper, the dynamic assembly of toroidal micelle structures of amphiphilic triblock copolymers in dilute solution has been investigated using dissipative particle dynamics simulations. The amphiphilic molecule is represented by a coarse-grained model, which contains hydrophilic and hydrophobic particles. Some microstructures of complex morphology having toroidal micelles have been observed in the simulations; the toroidal micelle formation is in accordance with the theoretical prediction of the toroidal structure in cylindrical micelle suspensions by Pochan et al. (Science 2004, 306, 94). These findings are very interesting, and these complex morphologies enrich our knowledge of the potential products obtained from the self-assembly of block copolymers.     

碳酸钙在聚合物胶束控制下的仿生合成

合成了温敏性的聚(N-异丙基丙烯酰胺)-b-聚(L-谷氨酸)(PNIPAM-b-PLGA)嵌段共聚物,在较高温度下制备了以PNIPAM为核、以PLGA为壳的自组装胶束,研究了胶束对碳酸钙晶体生长的控制作用.使用扫描电镜和X射线衍射表征了碳酸钙晶体的形貌和晶型.当聚合物胶束浓度较高时,得到纤维状的文石;当胶束浓度较低时,...     

Synthesis of well-defined poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-b-poly(L-glutamic acid) by a versatile approach and micellization

A novel Fmoc-protected chain transfer agent (CTA) was synthesized and applied in the reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm), resulting in well-defined Fmoc-protected PNIPAAm and the amino-end capped PNIPAAm by the subsequent hydrolysis. Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-b-poly(l-glutamic acid) (PNIPAAm-b-PLGA) with controlled molecular weight and narrow molecular weight distribution was synthesized successfully via ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of alpha-amino acid N-carboxyanhydrides (NCAs) by using PNIPAAm-NH2 as the macroinitiator. Both pH- and thermo-responsive micellization behaviors of the block copolymer PNIPAAm55-b-PLGA35 in dilute aqueous solution were investigated by means of the pyrene fluorescence, circular dichroism, 1H NMR, transmission electron microscopy and dynamic and static light scattering. Spherical PLGA-core and rod-like PNIPAAm-core micelles are formed in response to pH and temperature. The reversible transition between the PLGA-core and PNIPAAm-core micelles was observed. This work provides a versatile approach for synthesizing well-defined stimuli-responsive polypeptide-based double hydrophilic diblock copolymers (DHBCs), and is of great potential for generating useful stimuli-responsive materials in biomedical applications.     

SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF WATER-SOLUBLE BLOCK COPOLYMERS WITH AN END-TAGGED NAPHTHALENE PROBE

Water-soluble A-B block copolymers of 2-perfluoroethyl-2-oxazoline or 2-pentyl-2-oxazoline as hydrophobic monomers and 2-methyl-2-oxazoline as hydrophilic monomer were prepared by means of the living cationic ring-opening polymerization. The polymerization was initiated with N-methyl-2-(1-naphthyl)-2-oxazolinium trifluoromethanesulfonate as fluorescence label followed by sequential addition of the hydrophobic and the hydrophilic monomer. The polymerization was monitored by ¹H NMR spectroscopy and gel permeation chromatography (GPC) measurements. The results revealed that fluorophilic block copolymers can be prepared by this method while lipohilic block copolymers are not accessible by this monomer sequence. Micelle formation of the fluorophilic block copolymers in aqueous solution was studied by means of steady-state fluorescence spectroscopy which confirmed strong intermolecular excimer formation of the terminal bounded naphthalene moiety. In chloroform as a good solvent for both blocks, only monomer fluorescence could be observed.     

Preparation and Application of Double Hydrophilic Block Copolymer Particles

The preparation of some unique block copolymers and block copolymer particles via radical heterophase polymerization is described. Special emphasis is placed on double hydrophilic block copolymers such as poly(styrene sulfonic acid)-b-poly(methacrylic acid) diblock copolymer and double hydrophilic block copolymer particles consisting of both hydrophilic shells and cross-linked hydrophilic cores. Examples are given for the application of such particles as adsorbents, nano-reactors for chemical synthesis, and as colloidal stabilizers in both heterophase polymerization and biomineralization reactions.     

Formation of molecular bundles from self-assembly of symmetrical poly(oxyalkylene)-diamido acids

Sodium salts of poly(oxypropylene)-trimellitic amido acid (POP-amido acid), prepared from the reaction of POP-diamines and trimellitic anhydride, were found to self-assemble into orderly molecular bundles. The POP-amido acid has a symmetrical structure consisting of a hydrophobic POP middle block (2000 g/mol) and four symmetrical carboxyl end groups. By dissolving in water and evaporating on a polyether sulfone film, the POP-amido acid molecules self-assembled into a unique array with average dimensions of 7-13 nm in width, 2-5 nm in height, and 20-50 nm in length, observed by atomic force microscope. Varied morphologies were also observed when varying the pH, solvents, evaporating rate, concentration, and substrate surface. Unlike the common surfactants of single head-to-tail structure and the naturally occurring phospholipids of one head and two tails, the synthesized POP derivative is a symmetrical structure of four hydrophilic heads and one long hydrophobic block. Through the complementary noncovalent bonding forces, the molecules tend to align into molecular bundles or loops as the primary structure. The formation of different morphologies is controlled by the intermolecular forces including hydrogen bonding, aromatic pi-pi stacking, ionic charge, and hydrophobic interaction, in a concerted manner.     

Stabilization of Metal Nanoparticles in Aqueous Medium by Polyethyleneoxide-Polyethyleneimine Block Copolymers

The branched polyethyleneoxide-polyethyleneimine (PEO)n-b-PEI block copolymers are synthesized and fractionated. The (PEO)n-b-PEI block copolymers are found to be able to form micelles in aqueous solution after addition of certain metal compounds (H2PtCl6, Na2PtCl4, RhCl3). The degree of copolymer polydispersity seems to play an important role in metal nanoparticle stabilization. Comparison of diblock and branched copolymers shows that as a rule branched block copolymers are the better stabilizing systems for metal nanoparticles. In the case of micelle formation due to interaction with metal compounds, fine control on colloid morphology can be provided, which leads to very uniform particles. Variation of different parameters (such as concentration, pH, type of reducing agent) affects the nanoparticle morphology as well. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.     

Salt and Heat Induced Aggregation of Diblock Copolymers of Sodium 2-(acrylamido)-2-methylpropanesulfonate and N-Isopropylacrylamide in Aqueous Solutions

Heat and salt induced aggregation of three well-defined double hydrophilic block copolymers (DHBCs) of sodium 2-(acrylamido)-2-methylpropanesulfonate (AMPS) and N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) with constant chain length of the PAMPS block (with number-average degree of polymerization, DP _n  = 61) and varying chain length of the PNIPAM block with DP _n  = 11, 23, and 34 synthesized via reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) controlled radical polymerization was investigated by turbidity, dynamic light scattering (DLS) and ¹H NMR measurements. In the presence of salt or with an increase in temperature, the diblock copolymers form micelles with a PNIPAM core and PAMPS corona. The heat and salt induced aggregation in dilute aqueous solutions dependant on the molecular characteristics of the DHBC (DP _n of the PNIPAM block) was observed. The DHBC becomes amphiphilic as the PNIPAM block loses hydrophilicity at higher temperature above its lower critical solution temperature (LCST). Furthermore, the presence of salt induces salting out effect of the uncharged PNIPAM block. The diblock copolymer thus forms nanosized aggregates at a high temperature or in the presence of salt. These aggregates may be multiple aggregates due to inter-micellar aggregation of the spherical core-corona micelles.