Synthesis, Morphology, and Sensory Applications of Multifunctional Rod–Coil–Coil Triblock Copolymers and Their Electrospun Nanofibers

We report the synthesis, morphology, and applications of conjugated rod-coil-coil triblock copolymers, polyfluorene-block-poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-block-poly(N-methylolacrylamide) (PF-b-PNIPAAm-b-PNMA), prepared by atom transfer radical polymerization first and followed by click coupling reaction. The blocks of PF, PNIPAAm, and PNMA were designed for fluorescent probing, hydrophilic thermo-responsive and chemically cross-linking, respectively. In the following, the electrospun (ES) nanofibers of PF-b-PNIPAAm-b-PNMA were prepared in pure water using a single-capillary spinneret. The SAXS and TEM results suggested the lamellar structure of the PF-b-PNIPAAm-b-PNMA along the fiber axis. These obtained nanofibers showed outstanding wettability and dimension stability in the aqueous solution, and resulted in a reversible on/off transition on photoluminescence as the temperatures varied. Furthermore, the high surface/volume ratio of the ES nanofibers efficiently enhanced the temperature-sensitivity and responsive speed compared to those of the drop-cast film. The results indicated that the ES nanofibers of the conjugated rod-coil block copolymers would have potential applications for multifunctional sensory devices.