[en] N-Vinylcaprolactam (NVCL) was copolymerized statistically for the first time in a controlled manner with hydrophilic N-vinylamide or hydrophobic vinylester monomers in order to precisely tune up and down the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of the resulting copolymers. The incorporation of these segments in complex architectures was also considered. Several narrowly distributed NVCL-based copolymers were prepared by cobalt-mediated radical polymerization (CMRP) using the bis-(acetylacetonato)cobalt(II) complex as a controlling agent and N-methyl-N-vinylacetamide (NMVA), N-vinylacetamide (NVA), vinyl acetate (VAc) or vinyl pivalate (VPi) as comonomers. PNVCL-containing block copolymers having two discrete LCSTs were also synthesized following a one-pot strategy based on the sequential CMRP of NVCL followed by the copolymerization of NMVA with the residual NVCL. Upon gradual heating of aqueous solutions of such double thermoresponsive copolymers, we noticed a transition from free chains to micelles before full dehydration and collapse of the block copolymers. These advances represent a significant step towards the development of a platform based on thermoresponsive PNVCL copolymers with a single phase separation or multistep assembly behaviors.
Research center :
Center for Education and Research on Macromolecules (CERM)
Disciplines :
Materials science & engineering Chemistry
Author, co-author :
Kermagoret, Anthony ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Department of Chemistry > Center for Education and Research on Macromolecules (CERM)
Fustin, Charles-André; Université catholique de Louvain (UCL) > Institute of Condensed Matter and Nanosciences > Bio and Soft Matter
Bourguignon, Maxime; Université de Liège - ULiège > Department of Chemistry > Center for Education and Research on Macromolecules (CERM)
Detrembleur, Christophe ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Department of Chemistry > Center for Education and Research on Macromolecules (CERM)
Jérôme, Christine ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Department of Chemistry > Centre d'études et de rech. sur les macromolécules (CERM)
Debuigne, Antoine ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Department of Chemistry > Center for Education and Research on Macromolecules (CERM)
Language :
English
Title :
One-pot controlled synthesis of double thermoresponsive N-vinylcaprolactam-based copolymers with tunable LCSTs
Publication date :
21 April 2013
Journal title :
Polymer Chemistry
ISSN :
1759-9954
eISSN :
1759-9962
Publisher :
Royal Society Chemistry, Cambridge, United Kingdom