Abstract
A double hydrophilic block copolymer, poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(3-dimethyl (methacryloyloxyethyl) ammonium propane sulfonate) (PEG-SB), is synthesized by reversible addition-fragmentation transfer (RAFT) polymerization using PEG methyl ether (4-cyano-4-pentanoate dodecyl trithiocarbonate) as a chain transfer agent. PEG-SB forms multi-layered microspheres with dipole-dipole interactions of the SB side chains as the driving force. The PEG-SB polymers show an upper critical solution temperature (UCST) and the UCST is controllable by the polymerization degree. The PEG-SB microspheres are dissociated above the UCST and then monodispersed microspheres (∼1 μm) are obtained when the solution temperature is decreased below the UCST again. The disassociation/ association of the microspheres is also controllable using the concentration of NaCl. These multi-responsive microspheres could be a powerful tool in the field of nano-biotechnology.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 103-108 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Macromolecular Rapid Communications |
Volume | 35 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2014 Jan |
Keywords
- dipole-dipole interactions
- microspheres
- self-assembly
- stimuli-sensitive polymers
- upper critical solution temperature
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Organic Chemistry
- Polymers and Plastics
- Materials Chemistry