Thermodriven Micrometer‐Scale Aqueous‐Phase Separation of Amphiphilic Oligoethylene Glycol Analogues

Thermoresponsive materials with a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) are receiving growing attention, of which examples of non‐polymeric small molecules are limited. Monodisperse oligoethylene glycol amphiphiles that contain aromatic units with a LCST in water have been developed and applied to peptide extraction. Concentration‐dependent hysteretic transmittance changes were observed in response to temperature elevation and reduction. Dynamic light scattering measurements and phase contrast microscopy revealed the formation of micrometer‐sized aggregates upon heating at a concentration above 5.0 mM ; these aggregates self‐assembled to form larger aggregates upon cooling before dissolution. The “interaggregate” interactions are likely to cause the hysteretic behavior. As an application of this thermodriven phase separation, selective extraction of peptide fragments containing high percentages of hydrophobic and aromatic amino acid residues was successfully demonstrated.     

Thermo‐ and pH‐Responsive Micelles of Poly(acrylic acid)‐block‐Poly(N,N‐diethylacrylamide)

Summary: The bis‐hydrophilic block copolymer, poly(acrylic acid)₄₅‐block‐poly(N,N‐diethylacrylamide)₃₆₀, was obtained after hydrolysis of poly(tert‐butyl acrylate)₄₅‐block‐poly(N,N‐diethylacrylamide)₃₆₀, synthesized by sequential anionic polymerization of tert‐butyl acrylate (tBA) and N,N‐diethylacrylamide (DEAAm) in the presence of Et₃Al. The polymer is stimuli‐sensitive with respect to both pH and temperature in aqueous solution, reversibly forming spherical crew‐cut micelles with PDEAAm‐core (〈R_h〉_z = 21.5 nm) under alkaline conditions for T > 35 °C as well as inverse star‐like micelles with an expanded PAA‐core (〈R_h〉_z = 43.8 nm) under acidic conditions for T < 35 °C, as indicated by dynamic light scattering.

Modes of micelle formation for poly(acrylic acid)₄₅‐block‐poly(N,N‐diethylacrylamide)₃₆₀ in aqueous solution depending on the pH and temperature.     

Aromaticity‐Controlled Thermal Stability of Photochromic Systems Based on a Six‐Membered Ring as Ethene Bridges: Photochemical and Kinetic Studies

Three photochromic compounds—2‐butyl‐5,6‐bis[5‐(4‐methoxyphenyl)‐2‐methylthiophen‐3‐yl]‐1 H‐benzo[de]isoquinoline‐1,3(2 H)‐dione (BTE‐NA), 4,5‐bis[5‐(4‐methoxyphenyl)‐2‐methylthiophen‐3‐yl]benzo[c][1,2,5]thiadiazole (BTA), and BTTA, which contain naphthalimide, benzothiadiazole, and benzobisthiadiazole as six‐membered ethene bridges with different aromaticities—were systematically studied in solution, sol–gel, and single‐crystal states. They exhibit typical photochromic performance with considerably high cyclization quantum yields. BTE‐NA, BTA, and BTTA form a typical donor–π–acceptor (D –π–A) system with significant intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) between HOMO and LUMO upon excitation, thus realizing the fluorescence modulation by both photochromism and solvatochromism. The three ethene bridges with different degrees of aromaticity can provide a systematic comparison of the thermal stability evolution for their corresponding closed forms (c‐BTE‐NA, c‐BTA, and c‐BTTA). c‐BTE‐NA shows first‐order decay in various solvents from cyclohexane to acetonitrile. c‐BTA only shows first‐order decay in polar solvents such as chloroform, whereas it is stable in nonpolar solvents like toluene. In contrast, the less aromatic property of BTTA gives rise to its unprecedented thermal stability in various solvents even at elevated temperatures in toluene (328 K). Moreover, the small energy barrier between the parallel and antiparallel conformers allows the full conversion from BTTA to c‐BTTA. In well‐ordered crystal states, all three compounds adopt a parallel conformation. Interestingly, BTTA forms a twin crystal of asymmetric nature with interactions between the electron‐rich oxygen atom of the methoxy group and the carbon atom of the electron‐deficient benzobisthiadiazole moiety. This work contributes to the understanding of aromaticity‐controlled thermal stability of photochromic systems based on a six‐membered ring as an ethene bridge, and a broadening of the novel building blocks for photochromic bisthienylethene systems.     

Liquid-liquid equilibria and theta temperatures in homopolymer-solvent solutions from a perturbed hard-sphere-chain equation of state

The perturbed hard-sphere-chain (PHSC) equation of state is used to calculate liquid-liquid equilibria of binary nonpolar solvent/homopolymer systems exhibiting both an upper critical solution temperature (UCST) and a lower critical solution temperature (LCST). Systems studied include polyisobutylene, polyethylene, and polystyrene solutions. Equation-of-state parameters of homopolymers are obtained by regressing the pressure-volume-temperature data of polymer melts. In polymer solutions, however, theory overestimates the equation-of-state effect which causes the LCST at elevated temperature. To correct the overestimated equation-of-state effect, an empirical adjustable parameter is introduced into the perturbation term of the PHSC equation of state. An entropy parameter is also introduced into the Helmholtz energy of the mixture to correlate quantitatively the dependence of critical temperatures on polymer molecular weight. For systems exhibiting a LCST, two adjustable parameters are required to obtain quantitative agreement of theoretical critical temperatures with experiment as a function of polymer molecular weight. For systems exhibiting both an UCST and a LCST, three adjustable parameters may be necessary. The need for so many empirical binary parameters is probably due to the oversimplified perturbation term which is based on the mean-field assumption. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Synthesis and characterization of thermally reversible macroporous poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) hydrogels

Macroporous hydrogels are characterized by large pore sizes, high pore volumes, and high specific surface area. Besides these characteristics, macroporous hydrogels based on thermally reversible polymers respond to temperature changes much faster than hydrogels prepared by a conventional method. Crosslinked poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (polyNIPAAm) forms a thermally reversible hydrogel which shows a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) ca. 33°C in aqueous solutions. We have synthesized thermally reversible polyNIPAAm hydrogels having macroporous structures by a new method. These macroporous hydrogels have large pore volumes, large average pore sizes, and faster macromolecule permeation rates in comparison to conventional polyNIPAAm hydrogels synthesized by a conventional method. Compared with conventional polyNIPAAm hydrogels, the macroporous polyNIPAAm hydrogels have higher swelling ratios at temperatures below the LCST and exhibit faster deswelling and reswelling rates. The deswelling rates are especially rapid. These thermally reversible macroporous hydrogels may be very useful in controlled active agent delivery and toxin removal, as well as dewatering of solutions. Peptides or proteins may behave as if they were in bulk solution within the large aqueous pores, and this may reduce their inactivation when such gels are used for their storage and later release. The gels may also be useful in microrobotic devices due to their fast response to temperature. © 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Alternating Sequence Control for Carboxylic Acid and Hydroxy Pendant Groups by Controlled Radical Cyclopolymerization of a Divinyl Monomer Carrying a Cleavable Spacer

By utilizing features of the hemiacetal ester (HAE) bond: easy formation from vinyl ether and carboxylic acid and easy cleavage into different functional groups (‐COOH and ‐OH), we achieved control of the alternating sequence of two functional pendant groups of a vinyl copolymer. Methacrylate‐ and acrylate‐based vinyl groups were connected through HAE bonds to prepare a cleavable divinyl monomer, which was cyclo‐polymerized under optimized conditions in a ruthenium‐catalyzed living radical polymerization. Subsequent cleavage of the HAE bonds in the resultant cyclo‐pendant led to a copolymer consisting of alternating methacrylic acid and 2‐hydroxyethyl acrylate units as analyzed by ¹³C NMR spectroscopy. The alternating sequence of ‐COOH and ‐OH pendants specifically provided a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) in an ether solvent, which was not observed with the random copolymer of same composition ratio.     

Fast and solvent-free microwave-assisted synthesis of thermoresponsive oligo(glycidyl ether)s

Low-molecular weight linear poly(glycidyl ether)s are typically synthesized via the “classical,” oxy-anionic ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of glycidyl ether monomers at elevated temperatures. To reduce reaction times, a fast process was developed to synthesize oligo(glycidyl ether)s (OGEs) in bulk at a gram-scale utilizing microwave heating. Well-defined thermoresponsive copolymers comprising glycidyl methyl ether and ethyl glycidyl ether with molecular weights of up to 3 kDa were synthesized via microwave-assisted ROP with reaction times of approximately 10 min. The fast reaction kinetics were attributed to the rapid and uniform heating and high temperatures reached during the reaction. Consequently, no significant microwave-specific acceleration of the oxy-anionic ROP was observed. The temperature-triggered phase transition of the OGEs in aqueous solution revealed cloud point temperatures that are highly dependent on the OGE molecular weight, concentration, and comonomer composition, which extends previously reported data. Furthermore, oligo(glycidyl ether) acrylates (OGEAs) with reactive, functional end groups were directly accessible via in situ quenching of the anionic, microwave-assisted ROP with acrylic acid chloride. The obtained thermoresponsive OGEA macromonomers represent a promising material for the functionalization of surfaces via radical grafting methods to obtain functional, thermoresponsive coatings with potential application in cell culture. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2018 , 56, 2496–2504     

Temperature responsive copolymers of N‐vinylcaprolactam and di(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate and their interactions with drugs

Poly(N‐vinylcaprolactam) (PVCL) and poly(oligo(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate) (POEGMA) are well known for their thermoresponsive behavior in aqueous solutions. Indeed, they display lower critical solution temperatures (LCST) in the physiological range, which makes them interesting for biomedical devices and use in drug delivery systems. Homopolymers of N‐vinylcaprolactam and di(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate as well as copolymers thereof were synthesized by solution and direct miniemulsion polymerizations. The cloud points of the copolymers in aqueous solution were investigated as a function of temperature, comonomer ratio, and in the presence of model pharmaceutical ingredients. By variation of the comonomer ratio, it was possible to control the cloud point temperature between 26 and 35 °C, which was found to be beneficial to attenuate the effect of the drugs that also altered the cloud points. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013, 51, 3308–3313     

Effect of aromatic substitution on phase behavior of blends of halogenated polystyrene and conventional polystyrene

Miscibility phase behavior in blends of poly(bromostyrene) with polystyrene (PS) has been investigated by means of time‐resolved light scattering, optical microscopy, and DSC. Cloud point phase diagrams of blends of conventional PS with poly‐(2‐bromostyrene) (P2BrS), poly‐(3‐bromostyrene), and poly‐(4‐bromostyrene) of comparable molecular weights were established by light scattering. Of particular interest is the fact that ortho, meta, and para substitutions in the styrenic aromatic rings of poly(bromostyrene) show profound effects on the composition–temperature phase diagrams of their blends with PS, exhibiting a lower critical‐solution temperature (LCST), an upper critical solution temperature (UCST), and combined LCST/UCST diagrams, respectively. Poly‐(2‐chlorostyrene) exhibits an LCST behavior very close to that of the P2BrS blend, suggesting that these types of halogen atoms may be inconsequential to phase behavior. A similar study has been extended to a PS blend containing commercial brominated PS (66 mol % bromine substitution) to determine what location of bromine substitution is crucial for miscibility enhancement in the flame‐retardant brominated PS blends. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 39: 1605–1615, 2001     

Self‐assembly and lower critical solution temperature properties of supramolecular block copolymer/ionic liquid complexes depending on the alkyl chain length of imidazolium rings

We report the liquid crystalline (LC) assembly and lower critical solution temperature (LCST) properties of wedge‐shaped block copolymer (BCP)/1‐alkyl‐3‐methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate ([C_nMIM][BF₄], n = 2, 4, 6) complexes ( 1 – 3 ) depending on the alkyl chain length of the ionic liquids (ILs). In contrast to the crystalline BCP, all of the ionic samples showed LC phases. 1 with [C₂MIM][BF₄] exhibited a hexagonal columnar phase, and 3 with [C₆MIM][BF₄] exhibited a gyroid phase. Interestingly, a temperature‐dependent transformation from columnar phase to gyroid phase was revealed for 2 with [C₄MIM][BF₄]. The phase difference may be explained by the supramolecular shape change that was dependent on the alkyl chain length of the ILs. The LCST behavior was characterized using the differential scanning calorimetry, turbidity observations, and the X‐ray diffraction techniques. Notably, the primary d‐spacing began to decrease at the clouding temperature (T_c). 3 showed the highest T_c at 130 °C, which is greater than the temperature of the order‐to‐disorder transition. The results demonstrate that the subtle variation in the IL structure affects the morphological and LCST properties. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2017 , 55, 3587–3596     

Interfacial tension in a lower critical solution temperature blend: Effect of temperature,blend composition,and deformation of the interphase

Interfacial tension is a very important material parameter in two‐phase polymer blends. It determines the morphology development during processing, which is crucial for the end‐use properties of the material. Although different techniques for interfacial tension measurement give comparable results for immiscible polymers, the determination of the interfacial tension in lower critical solution temperature blends is not straightforward. This is illustrated for poly(α‐methyl styrene acrylonitrile)/poly(methyl methacrylate)(PαMSAN/PMMA), a slightly incompatible polymer pair. Interfacial tension has been measured with three different techniques: small‐amplitude oscillatory shear, recovery after elongation, and elongation of a multilayer sample. The large differences in these results can be attributed to the fact that most experimental techniques determine an apparent value, rather than the thermodynamic equilibrium value, of the interfacial tension. The latter is only obtained if the measurement is performed under quiescent conditions on a system that is composed of the coexisting PαMSAN‐rich and PMMA‐rich phases. The apparent interfacial tension depends on the actual composition of the phases and on the deformation of the interface. An order of magnitude approximation for such effects has been derived from theoretical considerations. Finally, each of these apparent values can be of practical importance. If a blend is prepared by melt mixing of the pure polymers, a high apparent value of interfacial tension should be considered. If, however, a blend is prepared by phase separation of a homogeneous mixture, the thermodynamic value is important. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 40: 679–690, 2002     

Access to Poly{N‐[3‐(dimethylamino)propyl](meth)acrylamide} via Microwave‐Assisted Synthesis and Control of LCST‐Behavior in Water

In the present paper, the microwave (MW)‐assisted synthesis of the alkaline N‐[3‐(dimethylamino)propyl]methacrylamide ( 4 ) and ‐acrylamide ( 5 ) monomers within minutes is described. The reaction was carried out by mixing and subsequent irradiation of 3‐dimethylamino‐1‐propylamine ( 3 ) and (meth)acrylic acid ( 1 / 2 ) without addition of solvent. After polymerization, the obtained homopolymers ( 6 / 7 ) exhibit lower critical solution temperature (LCST) behavior in water at 35 °C only at pH = 14. The LCST‐behavior can be influenced by N‐oxidation of the tertiary amino group with hydrogen peroxide or by formation of a polymer‐inclusion complex ( 6a ) of 6 and β‐cyclodextrin (β‐CD) by addition of randomly‐methylated β‐CD.

     

1H NMR study of phase transition of uncharged and negatively charged poly(N-isopropylmethacrylamide) in D2O solutions

¹H NMR spectroscopy has been applied to the analysis of dynamic-structural changes during temperature-induced phase transition of non-ionized poly(N-isopropylmethacrylamide) (PIPMAm) and ionized copolymers of N-isopropylmethacrylamide with sodium methacrylate, all in D₂O solutions with various polymer concentrations (c = 0.1-10 wt.-%) and ionic comonomer mole fractions (i = 0-10 mole %). It was found that the formation of compact globular-like structures during the phase transition is independent of polymer concentration for non-ionized samples; the presence of negative charges on the polymer chains leads to a dependence of the phase transition temperature on c and i. Virtually all PIPMAm segments are in globular-like structures for low polymer concentrations; for c ⩾ 1 wt.-%, this holds only for low content i of the ionic comonomer. An increase in c and i leads to a decrease in the fraction of polymer segments in globular-like structures; for samples with highest values of c and i, the phase transition was not observed.     

Synthesis and characterization of a novel thermosensitive gel with fast response

A gel is a kind of water-swellable but water-insoluble, crosslinked polymer. Some kinds of gels can respond to external temperature changes. This specific property is useful in biomedical and other technological fields. In this paper the synthesis of a novel, thermosensitive gel by the copolymerization of N-isopropylacrylamide or N,N- diethylacrylamide with 3-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxy silane (MPTMS) is reported. The formation of the gel is caused through the interaction of MPTMS under acidic condition. This thermosensitive gel can deswell and reswell quickly in response to the external temperature changes, this behavior probably being due to the heterogeneous structure of the gel produced. This fast-response gel may be useful both in biomedical and biotechnological fields. Received: 17 March 1999 Accepted on revised form: 9 June 1999     

Isotope and pressure effects in polymer solutions. Demixing of polystyrene(h/d) poly-2-chlorostyrene blends

Liquid-liquid demixing, following spinodal quenches of poly-2-chlorostyrene/polystyrene blends, was followed by light scattering at 632.8 nm. The dependences of demixing on H/D substitution and molecular weight of the polystyrene, and on pressure, are reported. In the region of interest, the phase diagram is of the lower critical solution (LCS) type, and demixing is induced by raising the temperature. The transition temperature is lowered by deuterium substitution. At constant quench depth the transition proceeds more rapidly at elevated pressure. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Effects of salts and copolymer composition on the lower critical solution temperature of poly(methyl 2‐acetamidoacrylate‐co‐methyl methacrylate) solutions

Copolymerizations of methyl 2‐acetamidoacrylate (MAA) with methyl methacrylate (MMA) were carried out at 60 °C in chloroform. Copolymers containing MAA units in the range of 83–90 mol % exhibited a lower critical solution temperature (LCST), although homopolymers of MAA and MMA did not. The LCST of polymer solutions decreased with (1) an increase in the concentration of the copolymer, (2) a decrease in the MAA content in the copolymer, and (3) an increase in the concentration of salts added. The effectiveness of anionic species for reducing the LCST is NO < Cl^? < SO < SO. Divalent anion is more effective for lowering the LCST than monovalent anion. However, there is no difference between cationic species in the salting‐out effect. Sodium carbonate and sodium phosphate had a salting‐in effect. Salting‐out coefficients were evaluated from the relationship between the logarithm of solubility of the copolymers and the salt concentration. Salting‐out coefficients of the copolymer depended not on the composition of the copolymers but on the salt added. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 1945–1951, 2002     

Synthesis and functionalities of poly(N‐vinylalkylamide). XII. Synthesis and thermosensitive property of poly(vinylamine) copolymer prepared from poly(N‐vinylformamide‐co‐N‐vinylisobutyramide)

The differences in the polymerization abilities of N‐vinylformamide (NVF) and N‐vinylisobutyramide (NVIBA) and the synthesis of their copolymers were studied. The polymerization abilities were fairly good and quite similar to those of N‐vinyl‐ acetamide (NVA), a monomer in the same class as N‐vinylalkylamides. Since the monomer reactivity ratios were r₁ = 1.08 and r₂ = 0.92 (M₁ = NVF, M₂ = NVIBA), respectively, it is clear that the comonomers definitely were converted to random copolymers. The resulting copolymers poly(NVF‐co‐NVIBA) exhibited the cloud points sharply. The light transmittance profiles were the same as those for poly(NVIBA) although they increased from 39 °C for poly(NVIBA), with an increase in the corresponding hydrophilic NVF component. Our final objective was to produce a cloud point controlled polymer material with primary amino groups. To achieve this, we examined the hydrolysis of poly(NVF), poly(NVA), poly(NVIBA), and poly(NVF‐co‐NVIBA) to obtain poly(vinylamine) [poly(VAm)]. The hydrolytic cleavage of poly(NVF) and poly(NVA) was promoted by an increase in temperature. However, poly(NVIBA) was not cleaved appreciably. The hydrolysis of poly(NVF‐co‐NVIBA) was done under controlled conditions, and amino groups selectively were introduced to only one of two components of the copolymer. The cloud point of the hydrolyzed copolymer shifted to a higher temperature than that of the copolymer. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 3674–3681, 2000