Synthesis and characterization of poly(itaconate ester)s with etheric side chains

The synthesis and characterization of poly(itaconate ester)s with short poly(ethylene oxide) side chains have been studied. It was found that the monomer syntheses via esterification of itaconic acid resulted in incomplete esterification leaving up to 35 mol % monomers with carboxylic acid functionality. These acid groups were then incorporated into the polymers. This acid incorporation has not previously been reported, nor have the properties of the copolymers been studied. Techniques were developed to effectively remove the acid impurities to generate pure homopolymers. Titration and gas chromatographic techniques were developed to study the amount of acid impurity in the monomers, and titration was also used to characterize the polymers. Size exclusion chromatography and differential scanning calorimetry were used to study both the homopolymers and copolymers. It was found that the location and breadth of the glass transition is a function of acid content. Finally, isomerization of the itaconate monomers to the inactive mesaconate was also found to be a problem during the synthesis. Pure mesaconate and citraconate monomers were synthesized and characterized by ¹H-NMR. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Crystallization kinetics of polymer brushes with poly(ethylene oxide) side chains

Isothermal crystallization rates of semicrystalline poly(methoxypoly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate) brushes on gold‐coated substrates were measured by polarized optical microscopy. Growth rates for crystal radii, which were essentially constant for each film, initially increased with film thickness and then leveled off for film thicknesses >300 nm. Avrami–Evans theory suggests that the spherulites exhibit one‐dimensional growth with heterogeneous nucleation. Compared with physisorbed analogs, polymer brushes crystallized slower due to the restriction of chain mobility. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 48: 1955–1959, 2010     

Synthesis of poly(beta-amino ester)s with thiol-reactive side chains for DNA delivery

The safe and efficient delivery of DNA remains the major barrier to the clinical application of non-viral gene therapy. Here, we present novel, biodegradable polymers for gene delivery that are capable of simple graft modification and demonstrate the ability to respond to intracellular conditions. We synthesized poly(beta-amino ester)s using a new amine monomer, 2-(pyridyldithio)-ethylamine (PDA). These cationic, degradable polymers contain pyridyldithio functionalities in the side chains that react with high specificity toward thiol ligands. This reactivity is demonstrated using both mercaptoethylamine (MEA) and the thiol peptide RGDC, a ligand that binds with high affinity to certain integrin receptors. These two polymer derivatives displayed strong DNA binding as determined using electrophoresis and dye exclusion assays. In addition, the MEA-based polymer and plasmid DNA were shown to self-assemble into cationic complexes with effective diameters as low as 100 nm. Furthermore, this DNA binding ability was substantially reduced in response to intracellular glutathione concentrations, which may aid in DNA unpackaging inside the cell. These complexes also displayed low cellular toxicity and were able to mediate transfection at levels comparable to PEI in human hepatocellular carcinoma cells. These results suggest that PDA-based poly(beta-amino ester)s may serve as a modular platform for polymer-mediated gene delivery.     

Dipole moments of poly(ethylene oxide) and poly(hexamethylene oxide) chains

The mean-square dipole moments of poly(ethylene oxide) and poly(hexamethylene oxide) chains have been determined from dielectric constant measurements on dilute solutions of the polymers in benzene. The values obtained are in good agreement with those predccted using the rotational isomeric state models for these chains. In addition, the unperturbed dimensions of poly(hexamethylene oxide) have been calculated as a function of molecular weight, using the isomeric state theory.     

Single-ion and salt conductor polymer electrolytes based on poly(4-vinylpyridine) quaternized with poly(ethylene oxide) side chains

A new type of single-ion conductor with fixed cation was synthesized by spontaneous anionic polymerization of 4-vinylpyridine in the presence of short polyethylene oxide ( PEO ) chains as alkylating agents. These comblike polymers have low T_gs and are amorphous with the shorter PEO s. Their conductivities are unaffected by the nature of the anion ( Br ⁻, ClO ₄⁻, and tosylate) and are controlled by the free volume and the mobility of the pendant cation. By comparison of the results at constant free volume, it is shown that the charge density decreases with the increasing length of pendant PEO demonstrating that PEO acts only as a plasticizing agent. Best conductivity results (σ = 10⁻⁵ S cm⁻¹ at 60°C) are obtained with PEO side chains of molecular weight 350. With this sample, the conductivity in the presence of various amounts of added salt (LiTFSI) was studied. A best value of 10⁻⁴ S cm⁻¹ at 60°C is obtained with a molar ratio EO/Li of 10. It is shown that, over the range of examined concentrations (0.2–1.3 mol Li kg⁻¹), the reduced conductivity σ_r/c increases linearly with increasing salt concentration showing that the ion mobility increases continuously. Such behavior is quite unusual since in this concentration range a maximum is generally observed with PEO systems. To interpret this result and by analogy with the behavior of this type of polymer in solution, it is proposed that the conformation of these polymers in the solid state is segregated with the P4VP skeleton more or less confined inside the dense coils surrounded by the PEO side chains. Under the influence of the increasing salt concentration, this microphase separation vanishes progressively: The LiTFSI salt exchanges with the tosylate anions and acts as a miscibility improver agent. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 35 : 2719–2728, 1997     

Synthesis and interfacial properties of novel cationic polyelectrolytes with brush-on-brush structure of poly(ethylene oxide) side chains

Novel cationic polyelectrolytes with a brush-on-brush structure of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) side chains and a charge-containing polyacrylate backbone were synthesized. The PEO side chains were not directly attached to the backbone but via polymethacrylate spacers, thus locating the PEO chains a distance away from the charged units of the backbone. The cationic brush-on-brush polyelectrolytes with high density of PEO chains showed a strong affinity to silica surfaces, provided the backbone charge density was high enough. The adsorption of these polymers was studied by QCM-D giving very high sensed mass, 20 mg/m². It was shown by direct force measurements that protective surface layers were formed by the novel polyelectrolytes, generating strongly repulsive steric forces, which provided an effective barrier against flocculation. The adsorbed layer was sufficiently robust to withstand sliding experiments under a pressure of up to 35 MPa. The friction force in water was very low, and the lubrication was characterized by a friction coefficient in the range of 0.02-0.06.     

Janus-type dendrimer-like poly(ethylene oxide)s

A straightforward and original methodology allowing the synthesis of Janus-type dendrimer-like poly(ethylene oxide)s (PEOs) carrying orthogonal functional groups on their surface is described. The use of 3-allyloxy-1,2-propanediol (1) as a latent AB2-type heterofunctional initiator of anionic ring-opening polymerization (AROP) of ethylene oxide (EO) and of selective branching agents of PEO chain ends served to construct the two dendrons of these dendrimer-like PEOs, following a divergent pathway. Thus, the first PEO generation of the first dendron was grown by AROP from 1 followed by the reaction of the corresponding alpha-allyl,omega,omega'-bishydroxy- heterofunctional PEO derivative with 2-(3'-chloromethybenzyloxymethyl)-2-methyl-5,5-dimethyl-1,3-dioxane (2) used as a branching agent. This afforded the dendron A with four latent peripheral hydroxyls protected in the form of two ketal rings. The remaining alpha-allylic double bond of the PEO thus prepared was transformed into two hydroxyl groups using OsO4 in order to create the first PEO generation of the dendron B by AROP of EO. Allyl chloride (3) was then used as another (latent) branching agent to react with the terminal hydroxyl of the corresponding PEO chains. Deprotection under acidic conditions of the ketal groups of dendron A, followed by AROP of EO, afforded the second PEO generation on this face. This alternate and divergent procedure, combining AROP of EO and selective branching of PEO branches, could be readily iterated, one dendron after the other up to the generation six, leading to a Janus-type dendrimer-like PEO exhibiting a total mass of around 300 kg/mol and possessing 64 peripheral groups on each face. The possibility of orthogonal functionalization of the surfaces of such Janus-type dendritic PEOs was exploited. Indeed, a dendron of generation 4 was functionalized with hydroxyl functions at its periphery, whereas the other was end-capped with either tertiary amino or disulfide groups. In a variant of this strategy, azido groups and acetylene could also be orthogonally introduced at the periphery of the fourth generation Janus-type dendrimer-like PEO and subjected to polycondensation by a 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction. This afforded a necklace-like covalent assembly of dendrimer-like PEOs through the formation of stable [1,2,3]-triazole linkages.     

Pyrolysis of poly(phenylene vinylene)s with polycaprolactone side chains

The thermal degradation characteristics of a new macromonomer poly(-caprolactone) with central 4,4′-dicarbaldehyde terphenyl moieties and poly(phenylene vinylene)s with well defined (-caprolactone), (PPV/PCL) as lateral substituents were investigated via direct pyrolysis mass spectrometry. The unexpectedly high thermal stability of the macromonomer was attributed to intermolecular acetylation of benzaldehyde yielding a hemiacetal and causing a crosslinked structure during the pyrolysis. Increased thermal stability of the PCL chains was detected for all samples. The increase in stability of PCL chains was much more pronounced than was detected for poly(p-phenylene)-graft-poly(-caprolactone) copolymer (PPP/PCL); the upward temperature shift was about 100 °C for PPV/PCL and only 20 °C for PPP/CL. This pronounced effect may be due to higher thermal stability of PPV compared to PPP and the decrease in steric hindrance for PPV with PCL side chains.     

Synthesis and characterization of polyphenylenes with polypeptide and poly(ethylene glycol) side chains

We report a novel approach for fabrication of multifunctional conjugated polymers, namely poly(p‐phenylene)s (PPPs) possessing polypeptide (poly‐l ‐lysine, PLL) and hydrophilic poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) side chains. The approach is comprised of the combination of Suzuki coupling and in situ N‐carboxyanhydride (NCA) ring‐opening polymerization (ROP) processes. First, polypeptide macromonomer was prepared by ROP of the corresponding NCA precursor using (2,5‐dibromophenyl)methanamine as an initiator. Suzuki coupling reaction of the obtained polypeptide and PEG macromonomers both having dibromobenzene end functionality using 1,4‐benzenediboronic acid as the coupling partner in the presence of palladium catalyst gave the desired polymer. A different sequence of the same procedure was also employed to yield polymer with essentially identical structure. In the reverse sequence mode, low molar mass monomer (2,5‐dibromophenyl)methanamine, and PEG macromonomer were coupled with 1,4‐benzenediboronic acid in a similar way followed by ROP of the L‐Lysine NCA precursor through the primary amino groups of the resulting polyphenylene. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2015 , 53, 1785–1793     

Photocurable oligo(hemiacetal ester)s having methacrylate side chains

Two types of oligo(hemiacetal ester)s which have methacrylate units and tertiary ester linkages in the side chains were synthesized by polyaddition of corresponding dicarboxylic acid with divinyl ether. One oligomer has a ortho linked main-chain structure, and the other one has meta and para linked main-chain structure. These oligomers were applied to a photocrosslinking system having photo/thermal degradable properties. On UV irradiation at 365 nm under N₂ atmosphere, oligomer films containing methyladamantyl methacrylate (MADMA), 2,2-dimethoxy-2-phenylacetophenone (DMPA), triphenylsulfonium triflate (TPST) became insoluble in acetone. Insolubilization behavior was not influenced by the difference of main-chain structure. When the crosslinked oligomer/MADMA films were irradiated at 254 nm and followed by baking, they became soluble in acetone. The effective baking temperature depended on the oligomer structure. The cleavage of hemiacetal ester and tertiary ester linkages was confirmed by FT-IR spectroscopy.     

Recovery as a measure of oriented crystalline structure in poly(ether ester)s based on poly(ethylene oxide) and poly(ethylene terephthalate) used as shape memory polymers

Poly(ether ester)s consisting of poly(ethylene oxide) and poly(ethylene terephthalate) segments, EOET copolymers, could be used as shape memory polymers (SMP). Crystalline structural characters of the copolymers during the memory process were investigated by dynamic mechanical analysis, differential scanning calorimeter, wide-angle X-ray diffraction, polarizing microscopy, and recovery measurements. PEO crystals in stretched EOET copolymer preferentially oriented along fiber axis or stretch direction. During stretching, the structure of the copolymer undertake a transformation from spherulite to fiber, resulting in a crystalline morphology similar to shish-kebab, and recovery properties of stretched EOET samples were dependent on as-described crystalline structural characters that can be influenced by draw ratio. Driving forces for contraction come from the oriented chains, and only oriented or extended chains can be contributive to the recovery of deformation; these extended chains involve both crystalline and amorphous segments. The recovery process in shape memory behavior was noticed to be deorientation of oriented chains due to thermodynamic entropy effect, and was divided into three stages. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 37: 101–112, 1999     

Graft copolymers composed of high molecular weight poly(ethylene oxide) backbone and poly(N-isopropylacrlylamide) side chains and their thermoassociating properties

Novel, water-soluble thermoassociative graft copolymers based on high molecular weight (HMW) poly(ethylene oxide-co-glycidol) backbone and relatively short grafts of poly-N-isopropyl acrylamide (NIPAAm) were prepared. The copolymer precursors with two architectures (block and graft) were synthesized using Ca-amide-alkoxide initiators. The OH groups in the copolymer precursors have been utilized for grafting NIPAAm using ceric ion (Ce⁴⁺) redox initiation. The idea was to imprint the “smart” properties of PNIPAAm grafts into common HMW poly(ethylene oxide). The sensitive moieties undergo reversible association transitions by changing the temperature of dilute and semidilute aqueous solutions of the copolymers. Associative properties were studied by viscosity and rheology measurements. Two types of interactions, induced by heating, depending on the copolymer concentration namely intra- and intermolecular association were observed.     

Hydrophilic polyisophthalamides containing poly(ethylene oxide) side chains: Synthesis,characterization, and physical properties

Novel polyisophthalamides containing pendent poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) sequences were prepared by grafting PEO onto poly(5‐hydroxy‐isophthalamide)s (HO‐PIPAs). First, an optimized method of synthesis was applied to prepare HO‐PIPAs, following the rules of the direct polyamidation reaction promoted by triphenyl phosphite and catalyzed by pyridine. Next, the modification of HO‐PIPAs was performed by a nucleophilic substitution reaction with chlorine‐terminated PEO monomethyl ether of average molecular weight 100, 550, and 1000 g/mol. The modification (grafting) reaction was optimized to assure virtually 100% yield. Polymers behaved as graft or brush‐like copolymers of polyisophthalamide (PIPA) and PEO, covering a wide range of ratios of PIPA/PEO. Physical properties, such as solubility, glass transition temperature, and thermal resistance were determined. Special attention was paid to the affinity of the novel copolymers for water. It was realized that with a high content of PEO, the materials could absorb water in amounts exceeding their own weight. Gravimetric methods and water contact angle measurements were used to quantify the hydrophilicity of the current PIPA‐g‐PEO copolymers. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2013     

Relaxations of confined chains in polymer nanocomposites: Glass transition properties of poly(ethylene oxide) intercalated in montmorillonite

The relaxation behavior of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), intercalated in montmorillonite, a naturally occurring mica-type silicate, was studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermally stimulated dielectric depolarization (or thermally stimulated current, TSC). The materials were synthesized by melt or solution-mediated intercalation. In both intercalates, the PEO chains were confined to ca. 0.8-nm galleries between the silicate layers. The solution intercalate contained a fraction of unintercalated PEO chains which exhibited a weak and depressed PEO melting endotherm in DSC. In contrast, the melt intercalate was “starved” such that almost all the PEO chains were effectively intercalated. For these melt intercalates, no thermal events were detected by DSC. TSC thermal sampling technique was used to examine the glass transition regions and to estimate the extent of cooperativity of chain motions. The motions of the intercalated PEO chains are inherently noncooperative relative to the cooperative T_g motions in the amorphous portion of the bulk polymer. This is presumably due to the strong confining effect of the silicate layers on the relaxations of the intercalated polymer. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

A Monte Carlo simulation of grafted poly(ethylene oxide) chains

Conformational changes of a simplified model of grafted poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) chains were simulated using an off-lattice Monte Carlo model. A random-walk scheme was used in our simulations. The initial polymer structure was modeled with molecular mechanics and models of grafted polymer chains were built using programs developed in our laboratory. During the simulation, all bond angles and bond lengths were kept fixed while the dihedral angles of backbones were changed to search for energy-favorite conformations. Torsional energy, van der Waals interaction, and Coulombic interaction were considered. Periodic boundary conditions were implemented. In addition, the solvent quality was simulated implicitly by modifying the Lennard-Jones 12–6 van der Waals expression. Each PEO chain, 50-monomer long, was represented with a united-atom model. Eight series of simulations with varying solvent quality, simulation temperature, and Coulombic interaction were carried out. For each series, nine different initial grafting densities of grafted PEO chains were considered. Five different conformations were simulated at each grafting density. The calculated system energies, scaling properties, and atom density profiles were studied. Changes in solvent quality produced different structural behaviors. As the grafting density increased, there was a mushroom-to-brush transition, and the scaling property of average layer thickness was dependent on the grafting density.     

pH responsiveness of dendrimer-like poly(ethylene oxide)s

Poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA), two polymers known to form pH-sensitive aggregates through noncovalent interactions, were assembled in purposely designed architecture -a dendrimer-like PEO scaffold carrying short inner PAA chains-to produce unimolecular systems that exhibit pH responsiveness. Because of the particular placement of the PAA chains within the dendrimer-like structure, intermolecular complexation between acrylic acid (AA) and ethylene oxide (EO) units-and thus macroscopic aggregation or even mesoscopic micellization-could be avoided in favor of the sole intramolecular complexation. The sensitivity of such interactions to pH was exploited to generate dendrimer-like PEOs that reversibly shrink and expand with the pH. Such PAA-carrying dendrimer-like PEOs were synthesized in two main steps. First, a fifth-generation dendrimer-like PEO was obtained by combining anionic ring-opening polymerization (AROP) of ethylene oxide from a tris-hydroxylated core and selective branching reactions of PEO chain ends. To this end, an AB(2)C-type branching agent was designed: the latter includes a chloromethyl (A) group for its covalent attachment to the arm ends, two geminal hydroxyls (B(2)) protected in the form of a ketal ring for the growth of subsequent PEO generations by AROP, and a vinylic (C) double bonds for further functionalization of the interior of dendrimer-like PEOs. Reiteration of AROP and derivatization of PEO branches allowed us to prepare a dendrimer-like PEO of fourth generation with a total molar mass of 52,000 g x mol(-1), containing 24 external hydroxyl functions and 21 inner vinylic groups in the interior. A fifth generation of PEO chains was generated from this parent dendrimer-like PEO of fourth generation using a "conventional" AB(2)-type branching agent, and 48 PEO branches could be grown by AROP. The 48 outer hydroxy-end groups of the fifth-generation dendrimer-like PEO obtained were subsequently quantitatively converted into inert benzylic groups using benzyl bromide. The 21 internal vinylic groups carried by the PEO scaffold were then chemically modified in a two-step sequence into bromoester groups. The latter which are atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) initiating sites thus served to grow poly(tert-butylacrylate) chains. After a final step of hydrolysis of the tert-butyl ester groups, double, hydrophilic, dendrimer-like PEOs comprising 21 internal junction-attached poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) blocks could be obtained. Dynamic light scattering was used to determine the size of these dendrimer-like species in water and to investigate their response to pH variation: in particular, how the pH-sensitive complexation of EO and AA units affects their overall behavior.     

Molecular weight dependence of crystal pattern transitions of poly(ethylene oxide)

Crystal patterns in ultrathin films of six poly(ethylene oxide) fractions with molecular weights from 25000 to 932000 g/mol were characterized within crystallization temperature range from 20 ℃ to 60 ℃.Labyrinthine,dendritic and faceted crystal patterns were observed in different temperature ranges,and then labyrinthine-to-dendritic and dendritic-tofaceted transition temperatures T L-D and T D-F were quantitatively identified.Their molecular weight dependences are T L-D(M w) = T L-D(∞) K L-D /M w,where T L-D(∞) = 38.2 ℃ and K L-D = 253000 ℃.g/mol and T D-F(M w) = T D-F(∞) K D-F /M w,where T D-F(∞) = 54.7 ℃ and K D-F = 27000 ℃.g/mol.Quasi two-dimensional blob models were proposed to provide empirical explanations of the molecular weight dependences.The labyrinthine-to-dendritic transition is attributed to a molecular diffusion process change from a local-diffusion to diffusion-limited-aggregation(DLA) and a polymer chain with M w ≈ 253000 g/mol within a blob can join crystals independently.The dendritic-to-faceted transition is attributed to a turnover of the pattern formation mechanism from DLA to crystallization control,and a polymer chain with a M w ≈ 27000 g/mol as an independent blob crosses to a depletion zone to join crystals.These molecular weight dependences reveal a macromolecular effect on the crystal pattern formation and selection of crystalline polymers.     

Mobility of spin labeled poly(ethylene oxide) chains grafted on silica

The motion of spin-labeled poly(ethylene oxide) grafted on a silica surface in contact with various solvents was studied by ESR spectroscopy. The polymer molecular weights were 400 and 6000. The features of the motion are pointed out. The rotational correlation times as functions of temperature and also activation energies are given. A comparison is made with the same polymers but not grafted.     

Mobility of spin labelled poly(ethylene oxide) chains grafted on silica

Samples of spin labelled poly(ethylene oxide) of average molecular weight 6000 and 400, grafted to extents of 20% and 15% by weight on silica gel, have been examined at various temperatures. EPR measurements at X-band frequency showed composite spectra, characteristic of two mobility states. A thermally activated process has been demonstrated. A two layer model is proposed.     

The terminal grafting of poly(ethylene oxide) chains to silica surfaces

Two methods are described for the terminal grafting of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) chains to silica particles. In both cases, a diisocyanate coupling route is employed. In the first method, isocyanatecapped PEO chains are reacted directly with the silica surface in a suitable organic solvent e.g. carbon tetrachloride. This route was found to be suitable for silica surfaces which had been previously, at some stage, dry. The second method, more suitable for aqeous silica dispersions, involves reacting the isocyanate-capped PEO chains with γ-amino n-propyl triethoxysilane. The resultant triethoxysilanecapped PEO chains are then added directly to the silica dispersion during the later stages of its formation (by hydrolysis of tetraethylsilicate in water/methanol mixtures). A co-condensation process results in the grafting of the PEO chains. In both cases, high coverages of PEO chains are achieved. However, in aqeous media it was found necessary to add isopropanol (0.5%) to the system to prevent oxidative degradation of the PEO chains. Even then long-term stability ( > c. 1 month) diffucult to to achieve; this was thought to be due to the slow dissolution process of silica itself in aqeous solution.