Issue 35, 2022

The effect of surface-active statistical copolymers in low-energy miniemulsion and RAFT polymerization

Abstract

Low-energy miniemulsions enable the production of uniform nanodroplets for a wide range of applications without the need for using specialized equipment. However, low-energy miniemulsions are typically formed in the presence of a surface-active agent with a specific structure and property. In this work, we elucidate the role of a surface-active statistical copolymer, poly(N-(2-hydroxypropyl) methacrylamide-co-di(ethylene glycol) ethyl ether methacrylate) P(HPMA-co-DEGMA), in the formation of low-energy miniemulsions and reversible addition–fragmentation chain-transfer (RAFT) polymerization, enabling the design of a new series of surface-active statistical copolymers. In particular, we found that the HPMA/DEGMA ratio and copolymer molecular weight significantly affect the interfacial tension between water and styrene and as a result, the size of nanodroplets and the RAFT miniemulsion polymerization. Importantly, these findings allowed for the design and synthesis of novel surface-active statistical copolymers composed of DEGMA and various hydrophilic moieties that can also substantially lower the interfacial tension to below 12 mN m−1. Furthermore, the new copolymer of DEGMA with methacrylamide (MAAm) resulted in the smallest nanodroplet size. This copolymer was subsequently selected to trigger the RAFT polymerization of styrene yielding nanoparticles of different morphologies including worm balls, worms, and vesicles. This work sheds light on the role of surface-active statistical copolymers and significantly expands the availability of surface-active agents for low-energy miniemulsion and RAFT polymerization.

Graphical abstract: The effect of surface-active statistical copolymers in low-energy miniemulsion and RAFT polymerization

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
12 apr. 2022
Accepted
18 ágú. 2022
First published
19 ágú. 2022
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Polym. Chem., 2022,13, 5135-5144

The effect of surface-active statistical copolymers in low-energy miniemulsion and RAFT polymerization

M. Rolland, E. R. Dufresne, N. P. Truong and A. Anastasaki, Polym. Chem., 2022, 13, 5135 DOI: 10.1039/D2PY00468B

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications, without requesting further permission from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given and it is not used for commercial purposes.

To request permission to reproduce material from this article in a commercial publication, 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 commercial 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