Issue 47, 2020

Gradient and asymmetric copolymers: the role of the copolymer composition profile in the ionization of weak polyelectrolytes

Abstract

Weak (or annealed) polyelectrolytes are polymers containing weak acidic or basic units. The behavior of these polymers in aqueous medium depends on their ionization state, which in turn varies with the pH value. By studying copolymers of acrylic acid (AA) and n-butyl acrylate (nBA) units as an example, we show that the relationship between pH value and degree of ionization of copolymers consisting of weak acidic units and hydrophobic units can be modified by controlling the composition profile along the copolymer chain at a constant content of acidic units. In particular, the ionization of a gradient copolymer, which exhibits a non homogeneous composition profile varying continuously along the copolymer chain, could be understood by studying model statistical and block copolymers exhibiting respectively a constant or a step-wise composition profile along the chain.

Graphical abstract: Gradient and asymmetric copolymers: the role of the copolymer composition profile in the ionization of weak polyelectrolytes

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
24 juil. 2020
Accepted
06 nov. 2020
First published
13 nov. 2020

Polym. Chem., 2020,11, 7562-7570

Gradient and asymmetric copolymers: the role of the copolymer composition profile in the ionization of weak polyelectrolytes

B. Farias-Mancilla, J. Zhang, I. Kulai, M. Destarac, U. S. Schubert, C. Guerrero-Sanchez, S. Harrisson and O. Colombani, Polym. Chem., 2020, 11, 7562 DOI: 10.1039/D0PY01059F

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