Polysoaps in Backbone‐Selective Solvents: Effects of Side‐Chain Length on Collapse Dynamics

Abstract

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of model comb‐graft heteropolymers were performed to understand general mechanistic features of coil‐to‐micelle relaxation after instantaneous quench from a nonselective solvent to solvent conditions selective for the backbone monomers and poor for the side‐chain monomers. The systems considered were single bead‐spring molecules with backbones of 30 monomers and 10 equally spaced side chains of 1, 5, 10, or 20 monomers each, immersed in dense liquids of 20,000 simple solvent particles. We find that the coil‐to‐micelle relaxation time, τ _r , averaged over 50 independent trajectories for each set of topological parameters considered, decreases with increasing side‐chain length. A two‐stage relaxation mechanism is observed: (1) a fast collapse and aggregation of neighboring side chains to form a chain of “protomicelles,” followed by (2) a slow intramolecular aggregation of protomicelles. Fast collapse dominates for molecules with relatively longer side chains due to relatively higher probabilities of initial contacts between side‐chain monomers in different side chains, while slow intramolecular aggregation dominates for molecules with relatively shorter side chains.     

New amphiphilic polyacrylamides: Synthesis and characterisation of pseudo-micellar organisation in aqueous media

In order to offer new tools for developing structure-property relationships for intramolecular associative polymers (polysoaps), the synthesis of three families of comb-like amphiphilic cationic polymers with great structure variability is described. These polymers with amphiphilic repeating units are polyacryl or methacrylamides laterally substituted by a group containing a quaternary ammonium site and a hydrophobic alkyl side chain with 10-16 carbon atoms. Two complementary synthesis methods were developed successfully. In the first method, the tertiary amine groups of neutral polymer precursors were quaternised with various n-alkyl bromides. Five polymers were obtained in this way. On the contrary, the second method consisted of synthesizing first amphiphilic cationic acryl or methacrylamide monomers. The 11 monomers thus obtained were then polymerised by conventional free radical polymerisation in solution. The polymers obtained by both methods only differed in their molecular weights, the second method leading to much higher molecular weights (up to 2 × 10⁶ g/mol). A preliminary investigation of the properties of a few of these polymers in solution showed interesting amphiphilic behaviour. The variation of the reduced viscosity of hydro-methanolic polymer solutions with polymer concentration revealed a strong intramolecular macromolecular folding. The microdomains corresponding to the intramolecular association of the hydrophobic alkyl side chains were eventually characterised by pyrene fluorescence spectroscopy. The local polarity of the pyrene probe was considerably lowered with respect to that of the surrounding aqueous phase and was dependent upon the macromolecular structure of the amphiphilic cationic polymers.     

Aggregation behavior of amphiphilic poly(2-alkyl-2-oxazoline) diblock copolymers in aqueous solution studied by fluorescence correlation spectroscopy

The diffusional behavior of amphiphilic poly(2-oxazoline) diblock copolymers in aqueous solution is studied using photon correlation spectroscopy (PCS) and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS). The polymers were synthesized by living cationic polymerization and were fluorescence-labeled with tetramethyl rhodamine isothiocyanate either at the end of the hydrophilic or the hydrophobic block. Temperature-resolved PCS showed that, at room temperature, large metastable aggregates are present along with unimers and micelles. An annealing above ~40 °C resulted in stable equilibrium micellar solutions. By means of FCS, the hydrodynamic radii of the unimers and the micelles were measured simultaneously in a broad concentration range, and the critical micelle concentration could be determined. Comparison of the results from conventional PCS measurements with this first FCS study showed excellent agreement and the high potential of the FCS technique.Dedicated to Prof. Dr. Erhard W. Fischer on the occasion of his 75th birthdayAn erratum to this article can be found at     

Characterization of polymeric vesicles of poly(sodium 11-acrylamidoundecanoate) in water

A polysoap poly(sodium 11-acrylamidoundecanoate) was synthesized from sodium 11-acrylamidoundecanoate in water. The molecular weight of the polymer was determined by gel permeation chromatography and static light scattering techniques. Fluorescence probe studies in water have suggested the formation of hydrophobic domains within the same polymer chain. The microenvironment of the hydrophobic domains is highly ordered. The packing of the hydrocarbon chains in the hydrophobic domains formed by intra-chain association increases upon decrease of pH. The transmission electron micrograph revealed large vesicular aggregates in dilute aqueous solution. Temperature-dependent fluorescence anisotropy of the 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene probe demonstrated stability of the vesicles.