Premium
RAFT‐Polymerized N ‐Cyanomethylacrylamide‐Based (Co)polymers Exhibiting Tunable UCST Behavior in Water
Author(s) -
Audureau Nicolas,
Veith Clémence,
Coumes Fanny,
Nguyen Thi Phuong Thu,
Rieger Jutta,
Stoffelbach François
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
macromolecular rapid communications
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.348
H-Index - 154
eISSN - 1521-3927
pISSN - 1022-1336
DOI - 10.1002/marc.202100556
Subject(s) - upper critical solution temperature , copolymer , materials science , polymer chemistry , polymer , chain transfer , polymerization , lower critical solution temperature , chemical engineering , acrylic acid , molar mass , thermoresponsive polymers in chromatography , cloud point , chemistry , radical polymerization , phase (matter) , organic chemistry , composite material , pulmonary surfactant , reversed phase chromatography , engineering
In this present work, the synthesis of a new family of upper critical solution temperature (UCST)‐thermoresponsive polymers based on N ‐cyanomethylacrylamide (CMAm) is reported. It is demonstrated that the thermally initiated reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization of CMAm conducted in N , N ‐dimethylformamide (DMF) is well controlled. The homopolymer presents a sharp and reversible UCST‐type phase transition in pure water with a very small hysteresis between cooling and heating cycles. It is demonstrated that the cloud point ( T CP ) of poly( N ‐cyanomethylacrylamide) (PCMAm) is strongly molar mass dependent and shifts toward lower temperatures in saline water. Moreover, the transition temperature can be tuned over a large temperature range by copolymerization of CMAm with acrylamide or acrylic acid. The latter copolymers are both thermoresponsive and pH responsive. Interestingly, by this strategy sharp and reversible UCST‐type transitions close to physiological temperature can be reached, which makes the copolymers extremely interesting candidates for biomedical applications.