Structural and thermodynamic aspects of ionic solvation in concentrated aqueous poly(ethylene glycol)

Solvation of ions in concentrated aqueous poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) has been studied from thermodynamic and structural viewpoints using ion-transfer voltammetry at the interface between aqueous and nitrobenzene phases and X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS). Systematic changes in the ion-transfer potential from water to aqueous PEG have been confirmed for several ions relative to the corresponding potential of tetraethylammonium ion (Et4N+), which is almost independent of PEG concentration. The results obtained for alkali cations strongly suggest the involvement of their complexation with PEG even in relatively diluted PEG solutions. It has been implied that the solvation circumstances of Br- and ClO4- are drastically altered when the PEG concentration becomes higher than particular critical values (e.g., 30-50% PEG200), where free water molecules are diminished because of the hydration of PEG. XAFS measurements have also been performed for K+ and Br- to get direct evidence for these findings. Although the spectra at the K K-edge clearly indicate the presence of a PEG complex of K+ in relatively diluted PEG solutions ( approximately 33% PEG200), an obvious increase in its ion-transfer potential has been detected at lower PEG concentrations, indicating that complexes formed at the interface rather than in bulk solution are transferred into an organic phase. Br- is fully hydrated in 0-50% PEG solutions, whereas some water molecules are replaced by PEG when the PEG concentration increases. Increasing the PEG concentration causes decreases in the coordination number from 6 in water to 2-3 in neat PEG. Thus, the present approach not only has elucidated the structural and thermodynamic aspects of ionic solvation in aqueous PEG but also has provided the information of the hydration of PEG.     

Homogeneous solvation controlled photoreduction of cobalt(III) complexes in aqueous 2-methyl-2-propanol solutions linear solvation energy relationship and cyclic voltammetric analyses

The effect of solvent participation on the ligand-to-metal charge transfer (LMCT, L-->Co(III)) reduction of the of Co(III)(en)(2)Br(RC(6)H(4)NH(2))(2+) where R=m-OCH(3), p-F, H, m-CH(3), p-CH(3,)p-OC(2)H(5) and p-OCH(3) were examined in aqueous 2-methyl-2-propanol (Bu(t)OH) solutions. The change in the reduction behavior of Co(III) centre was also examined through cyclic voltammetric studies. The observed reduction in quantum yield due to LMCT excitation can mainly be accounted using linear solvation energy relationship (LSER) comprising model correlation equations. These consist of empirical parameters such as Grunwald-Winstein's solvent ionizing power, Y, Dimroth-Richardt's solvent micro-polarity parameter, E(T)(N), Gutmann's donor number, DN(N), along with Kamlet-Taft's solvatochromic parameters (hydrogen bond acceptor acidity/basicity alpha/beta and solvent dipolarity/polarizability, pi*). The origin of solvent effect is found to be due to microscopic interaction between the solvent donor and the nitrogen-bound hydrogen of the ligand. Cyclic voltammograms show an irreversible reduction of Co(III) in DMF using Glassy Carbon Electrode, GCE, the redox peaks for the aniline complexes appear at -0.20 and 0.525V. Irradiation of the complexes with UV light (lambda=254nm) in binary mixtures produce Co(II)(aq) and the concentration of this species are highly dependent on x(alc) (x(alc)=mole fraction of alcohol). The observed quantum yield (logPhi(Co(II))) is found to be linearly related to mole fraction of organic co-solvent added in the mixture, therefore, logPhi(Co(II))=26.41 x 10(-2) when x(2)=0.0094 and 43.75 x 10(-2) when x(2)=0.076 for a typical complex Co(III)(en)(2)Br(p-OCH(3)C(6)H(4)NH(2))(2+) in aqueous 2-methyl-2-propanol at 300K. Cyclic voltammetry and LSER analyses illustrate the variation of reduction property of Co(III) by the aryl ligand and homogeneous solvation of the excited state of the complex Co(III)(en)(2)Br(RC(6)H(4)NH(2))(2+) in H(2)O/Bu(t)OH mixtures.     

Restricted self-diffusion in an aqueous solution of poly(ethylene oxide) poly(propylene oxide) poly(ethylene oxide) triblock copolymer

 The self-diffusion behavior of a triblock copolymer (PEO–b– PPO–b–PEO) in an aqueous solution of 20% (m/m) was investigated during a temperature-induced phase transition from liquid to gel state using pulsed field gradient NMR and static light scattering. The measured self-diffusivity shows a strong dependence on the observation time in the gel phase indicating the existence of diffusion barriers in the size range of about 0.6 μm. Additional static light-scattering measurements show a structure in the same size range of several hundred nanometers, which is far above molecular or micellar sizes and thus, has to be caused by larger clusters. The similarity in the space scales suggests that the restriction of molecular propagation is correlated with the grain boundaries between the domains of the poly-crystalline structure formed by the arranged micelles. Received: 28 October 1996 Accepted: 21 March 1997     

Electrokinetic characterization of poly(acrylic acid) and poly(ethylene oxide) brushes in aqueous electrolyte solutions

Surfaces carrying hydrophilic polymer brushes were prepared from poly(styrene)-poly(acrylic acid) and poly(styrene)-poly(ethylene oxide) diblock copolymers, respectively, using a Langmuir-Blodgett technique and employing poly(styrene)-coated planar glass as substrates. The electrical properties of these surfaces in aqueous electrolyte were analyzed as a function of pH and KCl concentration using streaming potential/streaming current measurements. From these data, both the zeta potential and the surface conductivity could be obtained. The poly(acrylic acid) brushes are charged due to the dissociation of carboxylic acid groups and give theoretical surface potentials of -160 mV at full dissociation in 10(-)(3) M solutions. The surface conductivity of these brushes is enormous under these conditions, accounting for more than 93% of the total measured surface conductivity. However, the mobility of the ions within the brush was estimated from the density of the carboxylic acid groups and the surface conductivity data to be only about 14% of that of free ions. The poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) brushes effectively screen the charge of the underlying substrate, giving a very low zeta potential except when the ionic strength is very low. From the data, a hydrodynamic layer thickness of the PEO brushes could be estimated which is in good agreement with independent experiments (neutron reflectivity) and theoretical estimates. The surface conductivity in this system was slightly lower than that of the polystyren substrate. This also indicates that no significant amount of preferentially, i.e., nonelectrostatically attracted, ions taken up in the brush.     

Extraction of humic acids and their fractions in poly(ethylene glycol)-based aqueous biphasic systems

The possibility of extraction and fractionation of humic acid (HA) in the aqueous biphasic systems (ABS) was shown for the first time. The 10% PEG-10% (NH₄)₂SO₄-H₂O and 5% PEG-7.5% dextran (or dextran sulphate, sodium salt)-H₂O systems were used. HA originated from peat, soddy-podzolic soil and chernozem were studied. The distribution coefficients were measured for HA of different origin, size of the molecules, molecular weights (MW) of the polymers and pH of the system. The PEG-(NH₄)₂SO₄-H₂O system was found to be better for preconcentration and isolation of HA, whereas the PEG-dextran-H₂O system is preferable for HA fractionation. The extractability of HA in ABS increases with increasing the MW of HA molecules. Peat HA are extracted in ABS with higher distribution coefficients compared with chernozem and soddy-podzolic soil HA. It is consistent with higher hydrophobicity of peat HA revealed by hydrophobic interaction chromatography. ABS are promising for HA separation into fractions that differ in their hydrophobic/hydrophilic properties as well as for comparing HA of different origin by their relative hydrophobicity.     

Synthesis and characterization of poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether endcapped poly(ethylene terephthalate)

Linear and branched poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) copolymers with polyethylene glycol) (PEG) methyl ether (700 or 2000 g/mol) end groups were synthesized using conventional melt polymerization. DSC analysis demonstrated that low levels of PEG end groups accelerated PET crystallization. The incorporated PEG end groups also decreased the crystallization temperature of PET dramatically, and copolymers with a high content of PEG (>17.6 wt%) were able to crystallize at room temperature. Rheological analysis demonstrated that the presence of PEG end groups effectively decreased the melt viscosities and facilitated melt processing. XPS and ATR-FTIR revealed that the PEG end groups tended to aggregate on the surface, and the surface of compression molded films containing 34.0 wt% PEG were PEG rich (85 wt% PEG). PEG end-capped PET (34.0 wt% PEG) and PET films were immersed into a fibrinogen solution (0.7 mg/mL BSA) for 72 h to investigate the propensity for protein adhesion. XPS demonstrated that the concentration of nitrogen (1.05%) on the surface of PEG endcapped PET film was statistically lower than PET (7.67%). SEM analysis was consistent with XPS results, and revealed the presence of adsorbed protein on the surface of PET films.     

Liquid poly(ethylene glycol) and supercritical carbon dioxide as a biphasic solvent system for lipase-catalyzed esterification

The biphasic solvent system composed of poly(ethylene glycol)(PEG) and supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) is ideally suited for the lipase-catalyzed acylation of alcohols; batch or continuous flow acylations are possible, scCO2 being used to extract the products.     

Synthesis and characterization of poly(ethylene glycol) grafted poly(L-lactide)

Poly(ethylene glycol) grafted poly(L -lactide) was prepared by ring opening polymerization of L -lactide and epoxy-terminated poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether (PEGME). Stannous octoate and Al(Et)₃·0.5 H₂O were tested as polymerization catalysts, and Al(Et)₃·0.5 H₂O was found to be more effective for the ring-opening of the epoxy group of the modified PEGME monomer. The synthesized polymers were characterized by NMR and the efficiency of the incorporation of epoxy-terminated PEGME in the copolymer was determined.     

温控聚乙二醇两相体系中纳米钯催化肉桂醛选择性加氢反应

将具有“高温混溶、室温分相”功能的聚乙二醇4000(PEG₄₀₀₀)与甲苯-正庚烷组成的两相体系用于纳米钯催化的肉桂醛选择性加氢反应中.在优化的反应条件下,肉桂醛转化率和氢化肉桂醛选择性分别为99%和98%.钯纳米催化剂经简单分相即可与产物分离,且循环使用8次,其活性和选择性基本保持不变.     

Fluorescence study of the solvation of fluorescent probes prodan and laurdan in poly(epsilon-caprolactone)-block-poly(ethylene oxide) vesicles in aqueous solutions with tetrahydrofurane

Steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence measurements were used to study the relaxation of the microenvironment of hydrophobic probes 6-propionyl-2-(dimethylamino)naphthalene (prodan) and 6-dodecanoyl-2-(dimethylamino)naphthalene (laurdan) in systems containing vesicles formed by the amphiphilic diblock copolymer poly(epsilon-caprolactone)-block-poly(ethylene oxide) (PCL-PEO) and water/tetrahydrofurane (THF) solvent mixtures. It was found that in case of prodan, both steady-state and time-resolved emission spectra were composed of two subspectra corresponding to the emission of prodan molecules located (i) in fairly rigid (effectively viscous) and hydrophobic domains of the vesicles close to the PCL/PEO interface and (ii) in a more polar and less viscous medium (in the bulk solution). The fraction of the emission from the more polar microenvironment increases with increasing content of THF in the system. Laurdan, in contrast to prodan, appeared to be solubilized preferentially in the hydrophobic domains up to 30 vol % of THF content, and its emission spectra changed only due to swelling of hydrophobic PCL domains by added THF. The study shows that the analysis of the time-resolved emission from a probe distributed in two media is, in principle, possible, but it is quite complex and appreciably less accurate, and the relaxation times are ill-defined averages of several processes. The bimodal or shoulder-containing time-resolved spectra have to be decomposed in pertinent time-resolved subspectra and treated separately. Another important result of the study is a piece of knowledge concerning the motion of the probe with respect to the vesicle. In the studied complex system, not only the relaxation of the solvent and reorganization of polymer segments around the fluorescent headgroup of the probe affect the emission but also a lateral motion of the probe with respect to the nanoparticle within the lifetime of the excited state contributes significantly to the relaxation and to the relatively slow time-resolved Stokes shift.     

Synthesis and characterization of poly(ethylene glycol) derivatives

Five general routes for the preparation of polyoxyethylene [generally referred to as poly(ethylene glycol) or PEG] derivatives are described. These routes are (1) nucleophilic displacements with the alkoxide of PEG, (2) nucleophilic displacement on PEG–tosylate, –mesylate, or –bromide, (3) reductive amination of PEG–aldehyde, (4) reductive amination of PEG–amine, and (5) nucleophilic displacements on the s-triazine derivatives prepared from s-triazine trichloride (cyanuric chloride) and PEG. Eighteen derivatives are prepared and potential applications to catalysis, cell purifications, and other areas are discussed briefly.     

Solubility of amino acids in aqueous poly (ethylene glycol) solutions

The solubilities of amino acids have been measured in water and aqueous poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) solutions as a function of temperature and PEG concentration. The free energies of transfer from water to aqueous PEG solutions forl-alanine,l-valine,l-isoleucine andl-leucine were positive, while those forl-phenylalanine andl-tryptophan were negative. The corresponding enthalpies of transfer were almost zero for all amino acids. The equilibrium constants of the binding of amino acids to PEG chain were estimated from the solubility data. Amino acids with larger hydrophobicity are bound more strongly to the PEG chain due to the hydrophobic interaction between the methylene groups of PEG and the side chain of amino acid. The equilibrium constants showed a correlation with the dynamic hydration number (n _DHN) which expresses the hydration properties of amino acids in aqueous solution.     

Rheology of an aqueous solution of an end-capped poly(ethylene glycol) polymer at high concentration

Generally it is observed that the viscosity of an aqueous solution of a hydrophobically modified polymer increases with concentration; however, here it is shown that the viscosity profile of an end-capped poly(ethylene glycol) polymer passes through a maximum. Thus, a substantial decrease in viscosity is observed at high concentrations (≥50 wt%). The observation is suggested to be due to a gradual change, on the molecular level, from a structure containing micellelike structures that are interconnected via polymer bridges to a more meltlike state, where micro segregation in hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions is less pronounced. Received: 23 October 1998 Accepted in revised form: 10 March 1999     

Self-assembly of poly(ethylene oxide)-b-poly(epsilon-caprolactone) copolymers in aqueous solution

The associative behavior of monodisperse diblock copolymers consisting of a hydrophilic poly(ethylene oxide) block and a hydrophobic poly(epsilon-caprolactone) or poly(gamma-methyl-epsilon-caprolactone) block has been studied in aqueous solution. Copolymers have been directly dissolved in water. The solution properties have been studied by surface tension, in relation to mesoscopic analyses by NMR (self-diffusion coefficients), transmission electron microscopy, and small-angle neutron and X-ray scattering. The experimental results suggest that micellization occurs at low concentration (approximately 0.002 wt %) and results in a mixture of unimers and spherical micelles that exchange slowly. The radius of the micelles has been measured (ca. 11 nm), and the micellar substructure has been extracted from the fitting of the SANS data with two analytical models. The core radius and the aggregation number change with the hydrophobic block length according to scaling laws as reported in the scientific literature. The poly(ethylene oxide) blocks are in a moderately extended conformation in the corona, which corresponds to about 25% of the completely extended chain. No significant modification is observed when poly(gamma-methyl-epsilon-caprolactone) replaces poly(epsilon-caprolactone) in the diblocks.     

Synthesis and characterization of a multiblock copolymer of poly(N-isovaleryl ethyleneimine) and poly(ethylene glycol)

Block copolymers of poly(N-isovaleryl ethyleneimine) (PiVEI) and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) were synthesized by coupling previously prepared blocks of PEG ditosylate with the dianion of the dihydroxy PiVEI. On the average four blocks coupled together to form the final block polymer. The PiVEI blocks crystallized with the same melting points as in the homopolymer. This restricted the mobility of the PEG blocks and they did not crystallize unless cooled well below room temperature. The mechanical properties of cast films were quite good with a tensile strength of 77 kg/cm² and an elongation of 120%. The swelling of unoriented and oriented films with water was studied. The unoriented polymer absorbed about its own volume of water, even though PEG comprised only 40% of the total polymer.     

Preparation and characterization of self-assembled nanoparticles formed by poly(ethylene oxide)-block-poly(epsilon-caprolactone) copolymers with long poly(epsilon-caprolactone) blocks in aqueous solutions

Aqueous solutions of self-assembled nanoparticles formed by biocompatible diblock copolymers of poly(epsilon-caprolactone)-block-poly(ethylene oxide) (PCL-PEO) with the same molar mass of the PEO block (5000 g mol-1) and three different molar masses of the PCL block (5000, 13 000, and 32 000 g mol-1) have been prepared by a fast mixing the copolymer solution in a mild selective solvent, tetrahydrofuran (THF)/water, with an excess of water, that is, by quenching the reversible micellization equilibrium, and a subsequent removal of THF by dialysis of the water-rich solution against water. The prepared nanoparticles have been characterized by static and dynamic light scattering and atomic force microscopy imaging. It was found that stable monodisperse nanoparticles are formed only if the initial mixed solvent contained 90 vol % THF. The results show that the prepared nanoparticles are spherical vesicles with relatively thick hydrophobic walls, that is, spherical core/shell nanoparticles with the hollow core filled with the solvent.