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Mukherji D, Kremer K. Smart Polymers for Soft Materials: From Solution Processing to Organic Solids. Polymers (Basel) 2023; 15:3229. [PMID: 37571124 PMCID: PMC10421237 DOI: 10.3390/polym15153229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2023] [Revised: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 07/27/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Polymeric materials are ubiquitous in our everyday life, where they find a broad range of uses-spanning across common household items to advanced materials for modern technologies. In the context of the latter, so called "smart polymers" have received a lot of attention. These systems are soluble in water below their lower critical solution temperature Tℓ and often exhibit counterintuitive solvation behavior in mixed solvents. A polymer is known as smart-responsive when a slight change in external stimuli can significantly change its structure, functionm and stability. The interplay of different interactions, especially hydrogen bonds, can also be used for the design of lightweight high-performance organic solids with tunable properties. Here, a general scheme for establishing a structure-property relationship is a challenge using the conventional simulation techniques and also in standard experiments. From the theoretical side, a broad range of all-atom, multiscale, generic, and analytical techniques have been developed linking monomer level interaction details with macroscopic material properties. In this review, we briefly summarize the recent developments in the field of smart polymers, together with complementary experiments. For this purpose, we will specifically discuss the following: (1) the solution processing of responsive polymers and (2) their use in organic solids, with a goal to provide a microscopic understanding that may be used as a guiding tool for future experiments and/or simulations regarding designing advanced functional materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Debashish Mukherji
- Quantum Matter Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Kurt Kremer
- Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Ackermannweg 10, 55128 Mainz, Germany;
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Henschel C, Schanzenbach D, Laschewsky A, Ko CH, Papadakis CM, Müller-Buschbaum P. Thermoresponsive and co-nonsolvency behavior of poly(N-vinyl isobutyramide) and poly(N-isopropyl methacrylamide) as poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) analogs in aqueous media. Colloid Polym Sci 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s00396-023-05083-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/07/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
Sets of the nonionic polymers poly(N-vinyl isobutyramide) (pNVIBAm) and poly(N-isopropyl methacrylamide) (pNIPMAm) are synthesized by radical polymerization covering the molar mass range from about 20,000 to 150,000 kg mol−1, and their thermoresponsive and solvent-responsive behaviors in aqueous solution are studied. Both polymers feature a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) apparently of the rare so-called type II, as characteristic for their well-studied analogue poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) (pNIPAm). Moreover, in analogy to pNIPAm, both polymers exhibit co-nonsolvency behavior in mixtures of water with several co-solvents, including short-chain alcohols as well as a range of polar aprotic solvents. While the cloud points of the aqueous solutions are a few degrees higher than those for pNIPAm and increase in the order pNIPAm < pNVIBAm < pNIPMAm, the co-nonsolvency behavior becomes less pronounced in the order pNIPAm > pNVIBAm > pNIPMAm. Exceptionally, pNIPMAm does not show co-nonsolvency in mixtures of water and N,N-dimethylformamide.
Graphical Abstract
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3
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Zhang P, Wang Z, Wang ZG. Conformation Transition of a Homopolymer Chain in Binary Mixed Solvents. Macromolecules 2022. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.2c01896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Pengfei Zhang
- State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, Center for Advanced Low-Dimension Materials, College of Material Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China
| | - Zheng Wang
- School of Physics, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Zhen-Gang Wang
- Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, United States
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Linn JD, Liberman L, Neal CAP, Calabrese MA. Role of chain architecture in the solution phase assembly and thermoreversibility of aqueous PNIPAM/silyl methacrylate copolymers. Polym Chem 2022; 13:3840-3855. [PMID: 37193094 PMCID: PMC10181847 DOI: 10.1039/d2py00254j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Stimuli-responsive polymers functionalized with reactive inorganic groups enable creation of macromolecular structures such as hydrogels, micelles, and coatings that demonstrate smart behavior. Prior studies using poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide-co-3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl methacrylate) (P(NIPAM-co-TMA)) have stabilized micelles and produced functional nanoscale coatings; however, such systems show limited responsiveness over multiple thermal cycles. Here, polymer architecture and TMA content are connected to the aqueous self-assembly, optical response, and thermo-reversibility of two distinct types of PNIPAM/TMA copolymers: random P(NIPAM-co-TMA), and a 'blocky-functionalized' copolymer where TMA is localized to one portion of the chain, P(NIPAM-b-NIPAM-co-TMA). Aqueous solution behavior characterized via cloud point testing (CPT), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and variable-temperature nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) demonstrates that thermoresponsiveness and thermoreversibility over multiple cycles is a strong function of polymer configuration and TMA content. Despite low TMA content (≤2% mol), blocky-functionalized copolymers assemble into small, well-ordered structures above the cloud point that lead to distinct transmittance behaviors and stimuli-responsiveness over multiple cycles. Conversely, random copolymers form disordered aggregates at elevated temperatures, and only exhibit thermoreversibility at negligible TMA fractions (0.5% mol); higher TMA content leads to irreversible structure formation. This understanding of the architectural and assembly effects on the thermal cyclability of aqueous PNIPAM-co-TMA can be used to improve the scalability of responsive polymer applications requiring thermoreversible behavior, including sensing, separations, and functional coatings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason D Linn
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, 421 Washington Ave SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Lucy Liberman
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, 421 Washington Ave SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Christopher A P Neal
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, 421 Washington Ave SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Michelle A Calabrese
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, 421 Washington Ave SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
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Synthesis, characterization and application of dual thermo- and solvent-responsive double-hydrophilic diblock copolymers of N-acryloylmorpholine and N-isopropylacrylamide. J Mol Liq 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molliq.2022.119053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
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Wang P, Geiger C, Kreuzer LP, Widmann T, Reitenbach J, Liang S, Cubitt R, Henschel C, Laschewsky A, Papadakis CM, Müller-Buschbaum P. Poly(sulfobetaine)-Based Diblock Copolymer Thin Films in Water/Acetone Atmosphere: Modulation of Water Hydration and Co-nonsolvency-Triggered Film Contraction. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2022; 38:6934-6948. [PMID: 35609178 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.2c00451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The water swelling and subsequent solvent exchange including co-nonsolvency behavior of thin films of a doubly thermo-responsive diblock copolymer (DBC) are studied via spectral reflectance, time-of-flight neutron reflectometry, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The DBC consists of a thermo-responsive zwitterionic (poly(4-((3-methacrylamidopropyl) dimethylammonio) butane-1-sulfonate)) (PSBP) block, featuring an upper critical solution temperature transition in aqueous media but being insoluble in acetone, and a nonionic poly(N-isopropylmethacrylamide) (PNIPMAM) block, featuring a lower critical solution temperature transition in water, while being soluble in acetone. Homogeneous DBC films of 50-100 nm thickness are first swollen in saturated water vapor (H2O or D2O), before they are subjected to a contraction process by exposure to mixed saturated water/acetone vapor (H2O or D2O/acetone-d6 = 9:1 v/v). The affinity of the DBC film toward H2O is stronger than for D2O, as inferred from the higher film thickness in the swollen state and the higher absorbed water content, thus revealing a pronounced isotope sensitivity. During the co-solvent-induced switching by mixed water/acetone vapor, a two-step film contraction is observed, which is attributed to the delayed expulsion of water molecules and uptake of acetone molecules. The swelling kinetics are compared for both mixed vapors (H2O/acetone-d6 and D2O/acetone-d6) and with those of the related homopolymer films. Moreover, the concomitant variations of the local environment around the hydrophilic groups located in the PSBP and PNIPMAM blocks are followed. The first contraction step turns out to be dominated by the behavior of the PSBP block, whereas the second one is dominated by the PNIPMAM block. The unusual swelling and contraction behavior of the latter block is attributed to its co-nonsolvency behavior. Furthermore, we observe cooperative hydration effects in the DBC films, that is, both polymer blocks influence each other's solvation behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peixi Wang
- Lehrstuhl für Funktionelle Materialien, Physik Department, Technische Universität München, James-Franck-Street 1, Garching 85748, Germany
| | - Christina Geiger
- Lehrstuhl für Funktionelle Materialien, Physik Department, Technische Universität München, James-Franck-Street 1, Garching 85748, Germany
| | - Lucas P Kreuzer
- Lehrstuhl für Funktionelle Materialien, Physik Department, Technische Universität München, James-Franck-Street 1, Garching 85748, Germany
| | - Tobias Widmann
- Lehrstuhl für Funktionelle Materialien, Physik Department, Technische Universität München, James-Franck-Street 1, Garching 85748, Germany
| | - Julija Reitenbach
- Lehrstuhl für Funktionelle Materialien, Physik Department, Technische Universität München, James-Franck-Street 1, Garching 85748, Germany
| | - Suzhe Liang
- Lehrstuhl für Funktionelle Materialien, Physik Department, Technische Universität München, James-Franck-Street 1, Garching 85748, Germany
| | - Robert Cubitt
- Institut-Laue-Langevin, 6 rue Jules Horowitz, Grenoble 38000, France
| | - Cristiane Henschel
- Institut für Chemie, Universität Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Street 24-25, Potsdam-Golm 14476, Germany
| | - André Laschewsky
- Institut für Chemie, Universität Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Street 24-25, Potsdam-Golm 14476, Germany
- Fraunhofer Institut für Angewandte Polymerforschung, Geiselberg Street 69, Potsdam-Golm 14476, Germany
| | - Christine M Papadakis
- Fachgebiet Physik weicher Materie, Physik Department, Technische Universität München, James-Franck-Street 1, Garching 85748, Germany
| | - Peter Müller-Buschbaum
- Lehrstuhl für Funktionelle Materialien, Physik Department, Technische Universität München, James-Franck-Street 1, Garching 85748, Germany
- Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum (MLZ), Technische Universität München, Lichtenberg Street 1, Garching 85748, Germany
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Buglakov AI, Vasilevskaya VV. Fibrillar gel self-assembly via cononsolvency of amphiphilic polymer. J Colloid Interface Sci 2022; 614:181-193. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2022.01.095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2021] [Revised: 01/14/2022] [Accepted: 01/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Bharadwaj S, Niebuur BJ, Nothdurft K, Richtering W, van der Vegt NFA, Papadakis CM. Cononsolvency of thermoresponsive polymers: where we are now and where we are going. SOFT MATTER 2022; 18:2884-2909. [PMID: 35311857 DOI: 10.1039/d2sm00146b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Cononsolvency is an intriguing phenomenon where a polymer collapses in a mixture of good solvents. This cosolvent-induced modulation of the polymer solubility has been observed in solutions of several polymers and biomacromolecules, and finds application in areas such as hydrogel actuators, drug delivery, compound detection and catalysis. In the past decade, there has been a renewed interest in understanding the molecular mechanisms which drive cononsolvency with a predominant emphasis on its connection to the preferential adsorption of the cosolvent. Significant efforts have also been made to understand cononsolvency in complex systems such as micelles, block copolymers and thin films. In this review, we will discuss some of the recent developments from the experimental, simulation and theoretical fronts, and provide an outlook on the problems and challenges which are yet to be addressed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Swaminath Bharadwaj
- Technical University of Darmstadt, Eduard-Zintl-Institut für Anorganische und Physikalische Chemie, Computational Physical Chemistry Group, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany.
| | - Bart-Jan Niebuur
- Technical University of Munich, Physics Department, Soft Matter Physics Group, James-Franck-Str. 1, 85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Katja Nothdurft
- RWTH Aachen University, Institut für Physikalische Chemie, Landoltweg 2, 52056 Aachen, Germany, European Union
| | - Walter Richtering
- RWTH Aachen University, Institut für Physikalische Chemie, Landoltweg 2, 52056 Aachen, Germany, European Union
| | - Nico F A van der Vegt
- Technical University of Darmstadt, Eduard-Zintl-Institut für Anorganische und Physikalische Chemie, Computational Physical Chemistry Group, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany.
| | - Christine M Papadakis
- Technical University of Munich, Physics Department, Soft Matter Physics Group, James-Franck-Str. 1, 85748 Garching, Germany
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Pavlenko SA, Larin DE, Govorun EN. Self-assembly of hydrophobic-amphiphilic diblock copolymers in solution. JOURNAL OF PHYSICS. CONDENSED MATTER : AN INSTITUTE OF PHYSICS JOURNAL 2022; 34:125001. [PMID: 34942610 DOI: 10.1088/1361-648x/ac462c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2021] [Accepted: 12/23/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Thermoresponsive polymers are usually characterized by a locally amphiphilic chain structure and their self-assembly in solution is controlled, in particular, by the surface activity of the monomer units or side chains. We theoretically study the condensed state of a single diblock copolymer molecule consisting of a hydrophobic block and amphiphilic block with hydrophobic groups in the backbone and pendant polar groups. The equilibrium parameters of the polymer globules of different shapes are determined using the mean-field approach to determine the most favorable structure. Morphological diagrams of condensed macromolecules are presented depending on the chain length, amphiphilic block fraction, interaction parameters, and pendant volume and length. The diagrams are compared with those of a copolymer molecule with the same fraction of amphiphilic monomer units which are regularly distributed along the chain. The diblock copolymer molecule is found to form a single spherical or flattened particle, with the core from the hydrophobic block, or a granular micelle consisting of spherical or nearly spherical particles, in agreement with the experimental data in the literature. The optimal chain parameters for self-assembly into a stable single core-shell particle are predicted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophia A Pavlenko
- Faculty of Physics, M V Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory 1-2, Moscow, Russia
- A V Topchiev Institute of Petrochemical Synthesis RAS, Leninsky Prosp. 29, Moscow, Russia
| | - Daniil E Larin
- A V Topchiev Institute of Petrochemical Synthesis RAS, Leninsky Prosp. 29, Moscow, Russia
- A N Nesmeyanov Institute of Organoelement Compounds RAS, Vavilova ul. 28, Moscow, Russia
| | - Elena N Govorun
- Faculty of Physics, M V Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory 1-2, Moscow, Russia
- A V Topchiev Institute of Petrochemical Synthesis RAS, Leninsky Prosp. 29, Moscow, Russia
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