Issue 3, 2012

Polymers with molecular weight dependent LCSTs are essential for cooperative behaviour

Abstract

The potential to fine-tune the transition temperatures of polymers displaying lower-critical solution temperatures (LCST) by a simple mixing strategy is investigated. Using a panel of four distinct polymer classes (poly[oligo(ethyleneglycol)methacrylate], poly(N-vinylpiperidone), poly(N-vinylcaprolactam) poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)) it was shown that only those with strong molecular weight dependent LCSTs produced a single, cooperative, transition when blended together. Furthermore, the actual transition temperature was linked to the weight average not the number average molecular weight. The only polymer which did not show strong molecular-weight-LCST correlation was poly(oligo(ethyleneglycol)methacrylate), which showed two independent transitions, one for each polymer.

Graphical abstract: Polymers with molecular weight dependent LCSTs are essential for cooperative behaviour

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
21 Dec 2011
Accepted
10 Jan 2012
First published
23 Jan 2012

Polym. Chem., 2012,3, 794-799

Polymers with molecular weight dependent LCSTs are essential for cooperative behaviour

N. S. Ieong, M. Hasan, D. J. Phillips, Y. Saaka, R. K. O'Reilly and M. I. Gibson, Polym. Chem., 2012, 3, 794 DOI: 10.1039/C2PY00604A

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements