Polymers based on renewable resources are promising candidates for replacing common organic polymers, and thus, for reducing oil consumption. In this contribution we report the microwave-assisted synthesis of block and statistical copolymers from 2-ethyl-2-oxazoline and 2-"soy alkyl"-2-oxazoline via a cationic ring-opening polymerization mechanism. The synthesized copolymers were characterized ...

Block copolymers of poly(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate) (PDMAEMA) and poly(oligo(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate) (POEGMA) with varying block sizes were synthesized by consecutive reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization and then exposed to cellulose substrates with different anionic charge density. The extent and dynamics of quaternized PDMAEMA-b-...

Dually responsive diblock random copolymers poly(nPA0.8-co-DEAEMA0.2)-block-poly(nPA0.8-co-EA0.2) were made from N-n-propylacrylamide (nPA), 2-(diethylamino)ethyl methacrylate (DEAEMA) and N-ethylacrylamide (EA) via reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. Copolymers of different block length ratios, poly(nPA28-co-DEAEMA7)-block-poly(nPA29-co-EA7) (P1) and poly(nP...

We consider nanoparticles and functionalized copolymers, block copolymers with attached end groups possessing a specific affinity for nanoparticles, in solution. Using molecular dynamics, we show that nanoparticles are able to direct the self-assembly of the polymer/nanoparticle composite. We perform a detailed study for a wide range of nanoparticle sizes and concentrations. We show that the na...

Mid-functionalized ABC triblock copolymers with a short central B block were synthesized via the RAFT process, and further used as well-defined V-shaped copolymers to graft onto graphene oxide by coupling reactions.

AB diblock copolymers comprised of poly(2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine) (PMPC) and poly(3-methacryloxypropyl trimethoxysilane) (PMTSi) segments, which are used for biocompatible coatings, were investigated. Block copolymers with various compositions were synthesized by atomic transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). The obtained copolymers were dissolved in an ethanol solution, and dyn...

The last two decades have seen an explosion of research activity in the area of self-assembled polymeric and supramolecular materials. Self-assembly schemes rely on an often delicate balance between competing repulsive and attractive forces between structural elements. In traditional coil-coil block copolymers, microphase separated structures are dictated by the balance of immiscibility between...

Block copolymers (BCPs) have attracted significant interest due to their ability form various nanostructures, including lamellae, cylinders, gyroids, and spheres. But these nanostructures are only observed for limited range of the volume fraction one block. Namely, lamellar microdomains symmetric fraction, whereas spherical found highly asymmetric fraction. To increase potential applications ne...

The complex microstructures of amphiphilic ABC linear triblock copolymers in which one of the end blocks is relatively short and hydrophilic, and the other two blocks B and C are hydrophobic in a dilute solution, have been investigated by the real-space implementation of self-consistent field theory (SCFT) in two dimensions (2D). In contrast to diblock copolymers in solution, the aggregation of...

We report a simple photolithographic approach for the creation and micropatterning of chemical functionality on polymer surfaces by use of surface-active block copolymers that contain protected photoactive functional groups. The block copolymers self-assemble at the substrate-air interface to generate a surface that is initially hydrophobic with low surface tension but that can be rendered hydr...