Synthesis and characterization of thermoresponsive graft copolymers of NIPAAm and 2-alkyl-2-oxazolines by the "grafting from" method

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • J Rueda - (Author)
  • S Zschoche - (Author)
  • H Komber - (Author)
  • D Schmaljohann - (Author)
  • B. Voit - , Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden (Author)

Abstract

New thermoresponsive graft copolymers were synthesized by the cationic ring-opening polymerization of 2-methyl-2-oxazoline (MeOxa) or 2-ethyl-2-oxazoline (EtOxa), initiated by the random copolymers of chloromethylstyrene (CMS) and N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm) using the "grafting from" method with a yield of 66-94%. The polymers were characterized by NMR, GPC, and DSC, and the conformational transition (lower critical solution temperature, LCST) of macroinitiators and graft copolymers was determined by the turbidity and DSC measurements. The transition temperature of the graft copolymers could be fine-tuned through the composition of the macroinitiator and the graft copolymer. An increasing quantity of the hydrophobic comonomer chloromethylstyrene in the macroinitiator lowered its LCST, while in the graft copolymer an increasing content of the hydrophilic segment of poly(2-methyl-2-oxazoline) or poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) raised the transition temperature. For graft copolymers with a high content of long poly(2-alkyl-2-oxazoline) grafts, stabilized aggregates with a thermoresponsive core can be formed at the LCST instead of precipitation of the material.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)7330-7336
Number of pages7
JournalMacromolecules
Volume38
Issue number17
Publication statusPublished - 23 Aug 2005
Peer-reviewedYes
Externally publishedYes

External IDs

Scopus 24944570200
ORCID /0000-0002-4531-691X/work/148607712

Keywords

Keywords

  • Cyclic imino ethers, N-isopropylacrylamide, Cell detachment, Poly(n-isopropylacrylamide), Polymerization, Temperature, Hydrogels, 2-methyl-2-oxazoline, Styrene, Poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline)