The self-organization of amphiphilic block copolymers in water strongly depends on their molecular structure, particularly their hydrophilic–hydrophobic balance. This study proposes tuning the amphiphilicity of block copolymers by a click strategy. This work prepares novel amphiphilic block-graft PCL-b-(PaN3CL-g-PBA) copolymers that comprise poly(e-caprolactone) (PCL) as the hydrophobic segment...

Langevin dynamics simulations are performed on linear-dendritic diblock copolymers containing bead-spring, freely jointed chains composed of hydrophobic linear monomers and hydrophilic dendritic monomers. The critical micelle concentration (CMC), micelle size distribution, and shape are examined as a function of dendron generation and architecture. For diblock copolymers with a linear block of ...

Block copolymers containing functionalized monomers, for example those containing charged groups, can be used for many purposes, one of which is the design of polymeric supramolecular materials based on electrostatic interactions. In this paper the synthesis of diblock copolymers and ABA-triblock copolymers containing poly(n-butyl acrylate) as a first or middle block and poly(2-(dimethylamino)e...

Reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization enabled the synthesis of welldefined A–BC–A triblock copolymers containing a synergy of pendant ether and imidazolium sites. The soft central BC block comprises low Tg di(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate (DEGMEMA) and 1-(4-vinylbenzyl) methyl imidazolium units. External polystyrene blocks provide mechanical reinfor...

Block copolymers were recently used to promote gene delivery in various tissues. Using a plasmid encoding a food allergen, bovine beta-lactoglobulin (BLG), we studied the effects of block copolymers on gene expression levels and primary immune response and on further induced allergy. Block copolymers (i.e., Tetronic 304, 908, and 1107) and various quantities of DNA were injected into the tibial...

Block copolymers adsorbing to an interface between two immiscible homopolymers modify the elastic constants of this interface. Within self-consistent field calculations for Gaussian chains, we determine how the bending constants vary in dependence on the block copolymer concentration and architecture. Four phenomena are discussed. (i) When a tricritical or isotropic Lifshitz critical point is a...

This paper presents a review of the methods available for preparing block and graft copolymers in which one component is acrylonitrile. Methods using polymer ions and polymer radicals are considered together with a useful new technique based on reactions of nitrile groups with amide compounds of group IV transition metals. Because of its polarity and its unusual solubility properties, a polyacr...

Polymer, heal thyself! Supramolecular ABA triblock copolymers formed by dimerization of 2-ureido-4-pyrimidinone (UPy) end-functionalized polystyrene-b-poly(n-butyl acrylate) (PS-b-PBA) AB diblock copolymers have been synthesized, resulting in a self-healing material that combines the advantageous mechanical properties of thermoplastic elastomers and the dynamic self-healing features of supramol...

Interaction studies between a set of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) based cationic bottle-brush block copolymers (BBCPs) and calf thymus DNA (ctDNA) were carried out using steady state fluorescence spectroscopy, UV melting experiments and dynamic light scattering measurements. Results suggested that these cationic block copolymers could effectively bind with negatively charged DNA. Although electr...