Cononsolvency of poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) in methanol aqueous solution—insight by dielectric spectroscopy

Both water and methanol are good solvents for poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM), while PNIPAM does not dissolve in their mixed solvents, this phenomenon is called cononsolvency. Cononsolvency is closely related to many phenomena in life but so far, its mechanism is still controversial. In this work, the dielectric behavior of PNIPAM methanol aqueous solution was studied in the frequency of 40Hz–40GHz. From lower frequency to higher frequency, four relaxations were found. They are, respectively, from global chain motion, local motion of backbone, motion of side chain group, and the dipole orientation of the solvent molecule. The solvent dependence of dielectric parameters for the chain motion implied that the PNIPAM chain has undergone the coil‐globule‐coil transition. Dielectric analysis to microwave frequency showed that the volume of the bound solvent units on PNIPAM chain increases with the increasing methanol concentration, which suggested that the structure of solvation units bound on PNIPAM side chains undergo a changing process experience from water to water‐methanol cluster to the ternary methanol cluster. This work reveals the structure and dynamics of the PNIPAM chain and the solvent unit that involved in the solvation of PNIPAM, and provides some new insight into the cononsolvency phenomenon. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2017 , 55, 1227–1234     

Visible Light Excitable SCN− Selective Fluorescence Probe Derived from Thiophene

An efficient fluorescence probe, 4‐methyl‐2,6‐bis((thiophen‐2‐ylmethylimino)methyl)phenol (DFPTMA) and its SCN^? adduct has been synthesized and characterized by different spectroscopic techniques like ¹H NMR,¹³C NMR, QTOF‐MS ES⁺, UV‐Vis and FTIR spectroscopy. Single crystal X‐ray structure of DFPTMA is reported. In presence of SCN^?, DFPTMA exhibits significant fluorescence enhancement (λ_Ex, 455 nm, λ_Em, 504 nm) in aqueous methanol (water‐methanol, 1:4, V/V, 0.1 mol/L HEPES buffer, pH 7.4). Common bio‐relevant anions viz. CH₃COO^?, NO₂^?, NO₃^?, Cl^?, Br^?, I^?, SO₄^2?, HSO₄^?, N₃^?, HAsO₄^2?, Cr₂O₇^2?, H₂PO₄^?, ClO₄^?, NCO^?, CN^?, CO₃^2?, F^?, PO₄^3?, S^2?, HS^? do not interfere in the recognition of SCN^?. Lowest detection limit for SCN^? is 0.88 µmol/L with response time <5 min. The SCN^? assisted enhancement in emission intensity may be attributed to the formation of H‐bond which enhances the rigidity of the molecular assembly.     

Solvent‐Dependent Structure of the I3− Ion Derived from Photoelectron Spectroscopy and Ab Initio Molecular Dynamics Simulations

Ab initio molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of the solvation of LiI₃ in four different solvents (water, methanol, ethanol, and acetonitrile) are employed to investigate the molecular and electronic structure of the I₃^? ion in relation to X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Simulations show that hydrogen‐bond rearrangement in the solvation shell is coupled to intramolecular bond‐length asymmetry in the I₃^? ion. By a combination of charge analysis and I 4 d core‐level XPS measurements, the mechanism of the solvent‐induced distortions has been studied, and it has been concluded that charge localization mediates intermolecular interactions and intramolecular distortion. The approach involving a synergistic combination of theory and experiment probes the solvent‐dependent structure of the I₃^? ion, and the geometric structure has been correlated with the electronic structure.     

Effect of chain architecture on the phase transition of star and cyclic poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) in water

The heat‐induced phase transition of aqueous solutions of Poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) in water is examined for a four‐arm PNIPAM star (s‐PNIPAM), a cyclic PNIPAM (c‐PNIPAM), and their linear counterparts (l‐PNIPAM) in the case of polymers (1.0 g L^?1) of 12,700 g mol^?1 < M_n < 14,700 g mol^?1. Investigations by turbidity, high‐sensitivity differential scanning calorimetry (HS‐DSC), and light scattering (LS) indicate that the polymer architecture has a strong effect on the cloud point (T_c: decrease for s‐PNIPAM; increase for c‐PNIPAM), the phase transition enthalpy change (ΔH decrease for s‐PNIPAM and c‐PNIPAM), and the hydrodynamic radius of the aggregates formed above T_c (R_H: c‐PNIPAM < s‐PNIPAM < l‐PNIPAM). The properties of s‐PNIPAM are compared with those of previously reported PNIPAM star polymers (3 to 52 arms). The overall observations are described in terms of the arm molecular weight and the local chain density in the vicinity of the core of the star, by analogy with the model developed for PNIPAM brushes on nanoparticles or planar surfaces. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2016 , 54, 2059–2068.     

A Novel Potentiometric Sensor for Thiocyanate Based on an Amide‐Linked Manganese Diporphyrin Xanthene

The synthesis of a new compound, amide‐linked manganese diporphyrin xanthene (Mn₂Cl₂ADPX), and its application for preparation of thiocyanate selective electrodes was described. The electrode was prepared with a PVC membrane combining Mn₂Cl₂ADPX as an electro active material, 2‐nitrophenyl octyl ether (o‐NPOE) as a plasticizer in the percentage ratio of 3 : 65 : 32 (Mn₂Cl₂ADPX: o‐NPOE: PVC, w : w : w). The electrode exhibited linear response within the concentration range of 2.4×10^?6 to 1.0×10^?1 M SCN^?, with a working pH range from 3.0 to 8.0 and a fast response time of less than 60 s. Several electroactive materials and solvent mediators have been compared and the experimental conditions were optimized. The Mn₂Cl₂ADPX based electrode shows obviously better response characteristics than that of monoporphyrin manganese in terms of working concentration range and slope. Selectivity coefficients for SCN^? relative to a number of interfering ions were investigated. The electrode exhibits anti‐Hofmeister selectivity toward SCN^? with respect to common coexisting anions. The electrode was applied to the determination of SCN^? in body urine with satisfactory results.     

Ion‐Specific Aggregation of Hydrophobic Particles

This work shows that colloidal stability and aggregation kinetics of hydrophobic polystyrene (PS) nanospheres are extremely sensitive to the nature of the salt used to coagulate them. Three PS latices and four aggregating electrolytes, which all share the same cation (Na⁺) but have various anions located at different positions in the classical Hofmeister series depending on their kosmotropic or chaotropic character, are used. The present study focuses on analyzing different aggregating parameters, such as critical coagulation concentrations (CCC), cluster size distributions (CSD), initial kinetic constants K₁₁, and fractal dimensions of the aggregates d_f. While aggregation induced by SO₄^2? and Cl^? behaved according to the predictions of the classical Derjaguin–Landau–Verwey–Overbeek theory, important discrepancies are found with NO₃^?, which become dramatic when using SCN^?. These discrepancies among the anions were far more significant when they acted as counterions rather than as co‐ions. While SO₄^2? and Cl^? trigger fast diffusion‐limited aggregation, SCN^? gives rise to a stationary cluster size distribution in a few aggregation times when working with cationic PS particles. Clear differences are found among all analyzed parameters (CCC, CSD, K₁₁, and d_f), and the experimental findings show that particles aggregate in potential wells whose depth is controlled by the chaotropic character of the anion. This paper presents new experimental evidence that may help to understand the microscopic origin of Hofmeister effects, as the observations are consistent with appealing theoretical models developed in the last few years.     

Preparation of polypyrrole‐graft‐poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide)/silver nanocomposites from pyrrolyl‐capped macromonomer by AgNO3 and their stimuli responsibility of light emission

Pyrrolyl‐capped poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) macromonomers (Py‐PNIPAM) were prepared through reversible addition‐fragmentation‐transfer polymerization with benzyl 1‐pyrrolylcarbodithioate as chain‐transfer agent. Polymerizations of Py‐PNIPAM with/without pyrrole using AgNO₃ as oxidizing agent and dimethylforamide as solvent resulted in graft copolymers of polypyrrole‐graft‐poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) (PPy‐g‐PNIPAM) as well as silver nanoparticles, leading to the formation of PPy‐g‐PNIPAM/silver nanocomposites. The resulting nanocomposites were soluble in water when the content of PPy was low, and when the molar ratio of Py/Py‐PNIPAM increased to 30, the resulting products became insoluble in water. The resulting nanocomposites had special optical properties because of PPy as well as the temperature‐responsible PNIPAM. The chemical structure and composition of nanocomposite were characterized by ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatograms, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and X‐ray diffraction. Their optical properties were characterized by UV–vis and fluorescence spectroscopy. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 6950–6960, 2008     

Positron annihilation studies of poly(N‐isopropyl acrylamide) gel in mixed solvents

Positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy was used to characterize the reentrant volume‐phase‐transition behavior of poly(N‐isopropyl acrylamide) hydrogel in an ethanol/water mixed solvent. The polymer gel was synthesized with γ irradiation. The ortho‐positronium lifetime (τ₃) in the gel slowly increased with an increase in the ethanol content in the mixed solvent. τ₃ was not influenced by the volume phase transition. The ortho‐positronium intensity decreased with the collapse of the gel in an approximately 10% ethanol/water mixture. When swelled in pure ethanol, τ₃ initially increased with the solvent amount in the gel, showing the destruction of intramolecular hydrogen bonding and the relaxation of polymer chains. The lower critical solution temperature of the gel in the 10% ethanol/water mixture was lower than that in pure water, and τ₃ for various solvent contents showed behavior similar to that seen in pure solvent. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 1028–1036, 2002     

Structural studies of poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) microgels: Effect of SDS surfactant concentration in the microgel synthesis

Thermoresponsive colloidal microgels were prepared by polymerization of N‐isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) in the presence of a crosslinking monomer, N,N‐methylenebisacrylamide, in water with varying concentrations (<CMC) of an anionic surfactant, sodium dodecylsulphate (SDS). Volume phase transitions of the prepared microgels were studied in D₂O by ¹H NMR spectroscopy including the measurements of spin–lattice (T₁) and spin–spin (T₂) relaxation times for the protons of poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) at temperature range 22–50 °C. In addition, microcalorimetry, turbidometry, dynamic light scattering, and electrophoretic mobility measurements were used to characterize the aqueous microgels. As expected, increasing SDS concentration in the polymerization batch decreased the hydrodynamic size of an aqueous microgel. Structures with high mobilities at temperatures above the LCST of PNIPAM were observed in the microgels prepared with small amount of SDS, as indicated by the relaxation times of different PNIPAM protons. It was concluded that the high mobility at high temperatures is in connection to a mobile surface layer with polyelectrolyte nature and with high local LCST. High SDS concentration in the synthesis was observed to prevent the formation of permanent, solid PNIPAM particles. The results from different characterization methods indicated that PNIPAM microgels prepared in high SDS concentrations appear to be more homogeneously structured than their correspondences prepared in low SDS concentration. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 3305–3314, 2006     

Gutmann's Donor Numbers Correctly Assess the Effect of the Solvent on the Kinetics of SNAr Reactions in Ionic Liquids

We report an experimental study on the effect of solvents on the model S_NAr reaction between 1‐chloro‐2,4‐dinitrobenzene and morpholine in a series of pure ionic liquids (IL). A significant catalytic effect is observed with reference to the same reaction run in water, acetonitrile, and other conventional solvents. The series of IL considered include the anions, NTf₂^?, DCN^?, SCN^?, CF₃SO₃^?, PF₆^?, and FAP^? with the series of cations 1‐butyl‐3‐methyl‐imidazolium ([BMIM]⁺), 1‐ethyl‐3‐methyl‐imidazolium ([EMIM]⁺), 1‐butyl‐2,3‐dimethyl‐imidazolium ([BM₂IM]⁺), and 1‐butyl‐1‐methyl‐pyrrolidinium ([BMPyr]⁺). The observed solvent effects can be attributed to an “anion effect”. The anion effect appears related to the anion size (polarizability) and their hydrogen‐bonding (HB) abilities to the substrate. These results have been confirmed by performing a comparison of the rate constants with Gutmann's donicity numbers (DNs). The good correlation between rate constants and DN emphasizes the major role of charge transfer from the anion to the substrate.     

Manganese mercury thio­cyanate (MMTC) glycol mono­methyl ether

In the title complex, [MnHg(NCS)₄(C₃H₈O₂)]_n, each Hg atom is tetrahedrally coordinated with four S atoms of the SCN^? ions, and each Mn atom is octahedrally coordinated with four N atoms of the SCN^? ions, one hydroxyl O atom and one ethereal O atom of the glycol mono­methyl ether mol­ecule. Each pair of Hg and Mn atoms is bridged by one SCN^? ion. A 24‐membered Mn₃Hg₃(SCN)₆ ring is formed as the strucrural unit, with the six metal atoms in a chair‐form hexagonal arrangement. The units are condensed and linked three‐dimensionally in the crystal resulting in a diamond‐like structure.     

Structure and chromotropism properties of an unsymmetrical alkoxo-bridged nickel(II) cubane-like complex

A new tetranuclear cubane-like complex, [Ni₄(L)₄Cl₄(H₂O)₃(EtOH)]·(H₂O), has been synthesized from the reaction of a metal salt with the bidentate ligand 2-hydroxymethylpyridine (LH), and its crystal structure, spectroscopic and chromotropic properties have been studied. The complex has a [Ni₄O₄] core comprising a distorted cubane arrangement, of which four nickel(II) ions were bridged by μ₃-alkoxo moieties. Each nickel(II) was coordinated to three μ₃-alkoxo oxygens, one pyridine nitrogen and one chloride. The peripheral ligation was completed by an oxygen atom of water or ethanol ligand, which participated in intramolecular hydrogen bonding. Chromotropism properties of the complex including solvato-, thermo-, and ionochromism were investigated. The complex displayed strong ionochromism and shows high-sensitive and selective activity toward CN^? and SCN^? anions in the presence of other halides and pseudo-halides. The solvatochromic property of the complex was analyzed by a multi-parametric equation using SPSS/PC software. The stepwise multiple linear regression method demonstrated that the acceptor power of the solvent plays the most important role in the observed negative solvatochromism of the compound. It shows reversible thermochromism in solution due to loss of the weakly coordinated water and ethanol from the nickel(II) units.     

Substituent effects on enol nitrosation of 1,3‐diketones

The keto–enol tautomerism of 3‐chloro‐pentane‐2,4‐dione (ClPD) was studied in aqueous micellar solutions of cationic, anionic, and nonionic surfactants. The enol of ClPD tautomerizes rapidly in water to the equilibrium proportions of the keto form, K_E=0.55; whereas the keto–enol conversion of 3‐ethyl‐pentane‐2,4‐dione (EPD) is a much slower reaction than the enol nitrosation. Kinetics of enol –nitrosation of both ClPD and EPD in aqueous acid medium using nitrous acid shows first‐order dependence upon [ketone] and linear or curve relationships of the observed rate constant, k_o, as a function of [nitrite] or [H⁺]; the observed behavior depends on the molecular structure of diketone and varies with the experimental conditions. The reaction is strongly catalyzed by Cl^?, Br^?, or SCN^?, and the observed rate constant shows a curve dependence on [Br^?] or [SCN^?], which is more pronounced at high acidity. The results are consistent with a reaction mechanism in which the nitrosation occurs initially on the enol–oxygen and releasing a proton to form a chelate–nitrosyl complex intermediate in steady state. Fine differences on the mechanistic spectrum of enols nitrosation are considered on the basis of the molecular structure of the diketone. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 44: 668–679, 2012     

Stimuli-Responsive Polymers in Solution Investigated by NMR and Infrared Spectroscopy

Summary: Temperature-induced and solvent composition-induced phase separation in solutions of poly(N-isopropylmethacrylamide) (PIPMAm) and other thermoresponsive polymers as studied by NMR and infrared (IR) spectroscopy is discussed. The fraction p of phase-separated units (units with significantly reduced mobility) and subsequently, e.g., thermodynamic parameters characterizing the coil-globule phase transition induced by temperature, were determined from reduced integrated intensities in high-resolution ¹H NMR spectra. This approach can be especially useful in investigations of phase separation in solutions of binary polymer systems. Information on behaviour of water during temperature-induced phase transition was obtained from measurements of ¹H NMR relaxation times of HDO molecules. NMR and IR spectroscopy were used to investigate PIPMAm solutions in water/ethanol (D₂O/EtOH) mixtures where the phase separation can be induced by solvent composition (cononsolvency). Some differences in globular-like structures induced by temperature and solvent composition were revealed by these methods.     

Conformational Relaxation of p‐Phenylenevinylene Trimers in Solution Studied by Picosecond Time‐Resolved Fluorescence

Two p‐phenylenevinylene (PV) trimers, containing 3′‐methylbutyloxyl (in MBOPV3) and 2′‐ethylhexyloxyl (in EHOPV3) side chains, are used as model compounds of PV‐based conjugated polymers (PPV) with the purpose of clarifying the origin of fast (picosecond time) components observed in the fluorescence decays of poly[2‐methoxy‐5‐(2′‐ethylhexyloxy)‐p‐phenylenevinylene] (MEH‐PPV). The fluorescence decays of MBOPV3 and EHOPV3 reveal the presence of similar fast components, which are assigned to excited‐state conformational relaxation of the initial population of non‐planar trimer conformers to lower‐energy, more planar conformers. The rate constant of conformational relaxation k_CR is dependent on solvent viscosity and temperature, according to the empirical relationship k_CR=aη_o^?α?exp(?αE_η/RT), where aη_o^?α is the frequency factor, η_o is the pre‐exponential coefficient of viscosity, E_η is the activation energy of viscous flow. The empirical parameter α, relating the solvent microscopic friction involved in the conformational change to the macroscopic solvent friction (α=1), depends on the side chain. The fast component in the fluorescence decays of MEH‐PPV polymers (PPVs), is assigned to resonance energy transfer from short to longer polymer segments. The present results call for revising this assignment/interpretation to account for the occurrence of conformational relaxation, concurrently with energy transfer, in PPVs.     

Rate constants for some reactions of inorganic radicals with inorganic ions. Temperature and solvent dependence

Rate constants for several reactions of inorganic radicals with inorganic anions in aqueous and aqueous/acetonitrile solutions have been measured as a function of temperature by laser flash photolysis. The reactions studied were (1) Cl₂^? + N₃^?, (2) Br₂^? + N₃^?, (3) Cl₂^? + SCN^?, (4) Br₂^? + SCN^?, (5) SO₄^? + Cl^?, (6) SO₄^? + CO₃^2?, and (7) N₃? + I^?. The rate constants were corrected for ionic strength and ranged from 10⁶ to 10⁹ L mol^?1 s^?1. The Arrhenius activation energies varied from 2 to 12 kJ mol^?1 for the first 4 reactions, were higher for reaction 6, and negative for reaction 5. The pre-exponential factors also varied considerably with log A ranging from 5 to 14. The values of k₂₉₈ decreased in most cases by more than an order of magnitude upon increasing the acetonitrile (ACN) fraction from 0 to 70%. For most reactions, this decrease in k₂₉₈ was due to changes in log A with little regularity in the small changes observed in E_a. For reaction 7, k₂₉₈ was practically unchanged due to compensating effects of the changes in E_a and log A with ACN mol fraction, giving an isokinetic relationship. An isokinetic relationship was also observed in the case of reaction 6; E_a and log A change in parallel while changing ACN mol fraction. Reaction 3 (Cl₂^? + SCN^?) was also studied in water/t-butanol and water/acetic acid mixtures. Linear correlation was found between log k and the dielectric constant of the medium for water/ACN and water/t-BuOH but the lines for the two solvent mixtures had different slopes, suggesting specific solvation effects in addition to the primary solvent polarity effects. With water/acetic acid, k decreased and then increased upon addition of acetic acid. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

DFT study of nitroxide radicals: explicit modeling of solvent effects on the structural and electronic characteristics of 4‐amino‐2,2,6,6‐tetramethyl‐piperidine‐N‐oxyl

An explicit DFT modeling of water surroundings on the electron paramagnetic resonance properties of 4‐amino‐2,2,6,6‐tetramethyl‐piperidine‐N‐oxyl (TA) has been performed. A stepwise hydration of TA is accompanied with certain changes in geometrical parameters (bond lengths and angles) and redistribution of partial electric charges in TA. An aqueous cluster of 45 water molecules can be considered as an appropriate model for a complete aqueous shell around TA, although most of the structural and electronic characteristics of TA already converge at about 10 water molecules. Water surroundings induce an increase in electron spin density on the nitrogen atom of the nitroxide fragment due to stabilization of the polar resonance structure > N^+?? O^? at the expense of less polar structure > N? O^?. The water‐induced rise of the isotropic splitting constant a_iso, calculated from the contact term of the hyperfine interaction, comprises Δa_iso(ρ_N2) = 2.2–2.5 G, which is typical of experimental value for TA. There are two contributions to the solvent effect on the a_iso(ρ_N2) value: the redistribution of spin density in the nitroxide fragment (polarity effect) and water‐induced distortions of TA geometry. Microscopic variations in a hydrogen‐bonded water network cause noticeable fluctuations of the splitting constant a_iso(ρ_N2). Calculations of the atomic spin density (σ_N2) allowed us to compute the splitting constant from the relationship a_iso(σ_N2) = Qσ_N2, where Q = 36.2 G. A practical advantage of using this relationship is that it gives ‘smoothed’ values of the splitting constant, which are sensitive to the environment polarity but remain tolerant to microscopic fluctuations of the hydrogen‐bonded water network around a spin‐label molecule. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Ab Initio quantum mechanical charge field study of hydrated bicarbonate ion: Structural and dynamical properties

The ab initio quantum mechanical charge field molecular dynamics (QMCF MD) formalism was applied to simulate the bicarbonate ion, HCO₃^?, in aqueous solution. The difference in coordination numbers obtained by summation over atoms (6.6) and for the solvent‐accessible surface (5.4) indicates the sharing of some water molecules between the individual atomic hydration shells. It also proved the importance to consider the hydration of the chemically different atoms individually for the evaluation of structural and dynamical properties of the ion. The orientation of water molecules in the hydration shell was visualized by the θ–tilt surface plot. The mean residence time in the surroundings of the HCO₃^? ion classify it generally as a structure‐breaking ion, but the analysis of the individual ion‐water hydrogen bonds revealed a more complex behavior of the different coordination sites. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem, 2010     

NMR study of phase separation in D2O/ethanol solutions of poly(N-isopropylmethacrylamide) induced by solvent composition and temperature

¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopies were applied to investigate phase separation in solutions of poly(N-isopropylmethacrylamide) (PIPMAm) in D₂O/ethanol (EtOH) mixtures induced by solvent composition (cononsolvency) and temperature. Effects of EtOH content in D₂O/EtOH mixtures and temperature on the appearance and extent of the phase separation were characterized. Differences in mesoglobules formed during the phase separation induced by cononsolvency and temperature were found. For temperature-induced phase separation, ¹³C spin-spin relaxation times showed that besides the free EtOH expelled from the PIPMAm mesoglobules, there are also EtOH molecules bound in these mesoglobules. On the other hand, virtually no bound EtOH molecules were detected for mesoglobules formed as a consequence of the cononsolvency. For PIPMAm random copolymers containing negatively charged methacrylate units the phase separation induced by solvent composition was not observed.     

Syntheses and self‐assembly of poly(benzyl ether)‐b‐poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) dendritic–linear diblock copolymers

This article describes the syntheses and solution behavior of model amphiphilic dendritic–linear diblock copolymers that self‐assemble in aqueous solutions into micelles with thermoresponsive shells. The investigated materials are constructed of poly(benzyl ether) monodendrons of the second generation ([G‐2]) or third generation ([G‐3]) and linear poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM). [G‐2]‐PNIPAM and [G‐3]‐PNIPAM dendritic–linear diblock copolymers have been prepared by reversible addition–fragmentation transfer (RAFT) polymerizations of N‐isopropylacrylamide with a [G‐2]‐ or [G‐3]‐based RAFT agent, respectively. The critical micelle concentration (cmc) of [G‐3]‐PNIPAM₂₂₀, determined by surface tensiometry, is 6.3 × 10^?6 g/mL, whereas [G‐2]‐PNIPAM₂₃₅ has a cmc of 1.0 × 10^?5 g/mL. Transmission electron microscopy results indicate the presence of spherical micelles in aqueous solutions. The thermoresponsive conformational changes of PNIPAM chains located at the shell of the dendritic–linear diblock copolymer micelles have been thoroughly investigated with a combination of dynamic and static laser light scattering and excimer fluorescence. The thermoresponsive collapse of the PNIPAM shell is a two‐stage process; the first one occurs gradually in the temperature range of 20–29 °C, which is much lower than the lower critical solution temperature of linear PNIPAM homopolymer, followed by the second process, in which the main collapse of PNIPAM chains takes place in the narrow temperature range of 29–31 °C. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 1357–1371, 2006