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An Arm‐First Approach to Cleavable Mikto‐Arm Star Polymers by RAFT Polymerization
Author(s) -
Wei Xiaohu,
Moad Graeme,
Muir Benjamin W.,
Rizzardo Ezio,
Rosselgong Julien,
Yang Wantai,
Thang San H.
Publication year - 2014
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.201300879
Subject(s) - polymer chemistry , copolymer , methacrylate , dispersity , ethylene glycol dimethacrylate , monomer , raft , polymer , ethylene glycol , chemistry , polymerization , materials science , organic chemistry , methacrylic acid
Redox‐cleavable mikto‐arm star polymers are prepared by an “arm‐first” approach involving copolymerization of a dimethacrylate mediated by a mixture of macroRAFT agents. Thus, RAFT copolymerization of the monomers BMA, DMAEMA, and OEGMA, with the disulfide dimethacrylate cross‐linker (DSDMA), bis(2‐methacryloyl)oxyethyl disulfide, mediated by a 1:1:1 mixture of three macroRAFT agents with markedly different properties [hydrophilic, poly[oligo(ethylene glycol) methacrylate]—P(OEGMA) 8–9 ; cationizable, poly[2‐(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate]—P(DMAEMA); hydrophobic, poly( n ‐butyl methacrylate)—P(BMA)] provides low dispersity mikto‐arm star polymers. Good control ( Đ < 1.3) is observed for the target P(DMAEMA)/P(OEGMA)/P(BMA) (3:3:1) mikto‐arm star, a double hydrophilic P(DMAEMA)/P(OEGMA) (3:3) mikto‐arm star and a hydrophobic P(BMA) homo‐arm star. However, Đ for the target mikto‐arm stars increases with an increase in either the ratio [DSDMA]:[total macroRAFT] or the fraction of hydrophobic P(BMA) macroRAFT agent. The quaternized mikto‐arm star in dilute aqueous solution shows a monomodal particle size distribution and an average size of ≈145 nm.