1
|
Leo CM, Jang J, Corey EJ, Neary WJ, Bowman JI, Kennemur JG. Comparison of Polypentenamer and Polynorbornene Bottlebrushes in Dilute Solution. ACS POLYMERS AU 2024; 4:235-246. [PMID: 38882033 PMCID: PMC11177302 DOI: 10.1021/acspolymersau.3c00052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2023] [Revised: 02/08/2024] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 06/18/2024]
Abstract
Bottlebrush (BB) polymers were synthesized via grafting-from-atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of styrene on polypentenamer and polynorbornene macroinitiators with matched grafting density (n g = 4) and backbone degrees of polymerization (122 ≥ N bb ≥ 61) to produce a comparative study on their respective dilute solution properties as a function of increasing side chain degree of polymerization (116 ≥ N sc ≥ 5). The grafting-from technique produced near quantitative grafting efficiency and narrow dispersity N sc as evidenced by spectroscopic analysis and ring closing metathesis depolymerization of the polypentenamer BBs. The versatility of this synthetic approach permitted a comprehensive survey of power law expressions that arise from monitoring intrinsic viscosity, hydrodynamic radius, and radius of gyration as a function of increasing the molar mass of the BBs by increasing N sc. These values were compared to a series of linear (nongrafted, N sc = 0) macroinitiators in addition to linear grafts. This unique study allowed elucidation of the onset of bottlebrush behavior for two different types of bottlebrush backbones with identical grafting density but inherently different flexibility. In addition, grafting-from ATRP of methyl acrylate on a polypentenamer macroinitiator allowed the observation of the effects of graft chemistry in comparison to polystyrene. Differences in the observed scaling relationships in dilute solution as a function of each of these synthetic variants are discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Courtney M Leo
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 32303, United States
| | - Jaehoon Jang
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 32303, United States
| | - Ethan J Corey
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 32303, United States
| | - William J Neary
- Department of Chemistry, University of California at Riverside, Riverside, California 92521, United States
| | - Jared I Bowman
- George and Josephine Butler Polymer Research Laboratory, Center for Macromolecular Science & Engineering, Department of Chemistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611, United States
| | - Justin G Kennemur
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 32303, United States
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Zhu M, Pan X, Zheng T, Li L. Research progress on the conformational properties of comb-like polymers in dilute solutions. SOFT MATTER 2024; 20:463-483. [PMID: 38167904 DOI: 10.1039/d3sm01102j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
As a special type of branched polymers, comb-like polymers simultaneously possess the structural characteristics of a linear backbone profile and crowded sidechain branches/grafts, and such structural uniqueness leads to reduced interchain entanglement, enhanced molecular orientation, and unique stimulus-response behavior, which greatly expands the potential applications in the fields of super-soft elastomers, molecular sensors, lubricants, photonic crystals, etc. In principle, all these molecular features can be traced back to three structural parameters, i.e., the degree of polymerization of the backbone (Nb), the degree of polymerization of the graft sidechain (Ng), and the grafting density (σ). Consequently, it is of great importance to understand the correlation mechanism between the structural characteristics and physicochemical properties, among which, the conformational properties in dilute solution have received the most attention due to its central position in polymer science. In the past decades, the development of synthetic chemistry and characterization techniques has greatly stimulated the progress of this field, and a number of experiments have been executed to verify the conformational properties; however, due to the complexity of the structural parameters and the diversity of the chemical design, the achieved experimental progress displays significant controversies compared with the theoretical predictions. This review aims to provide a full picture of recent research progress on this topic, specifically, (1) first, a few classical theoretical models regarding the chain conformation are introduced, and the quasi-two-parameter (QTP) theory for the conformation analysis is highlighted; (2) second, the research progress of the static conformation of comb-like polymers in dilute solution is discussed; (3) third, the research progress of the dynamic conformation in dilute solution is further discussed. The key issues, existing controversies and future research directions are also highlighted. We hope that this review can provide insightful information for the understanding of the conformational properties of comb-like polymers, open a new door for the regulation of conformational behavior in related applications, and promote related theoretical and experimental research in the community.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mo Zhu
- College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
| | - Xuejun Pan
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanchang Hangkong University, Nanchang 330063, China.
| | - Tao Zheng
- College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
| | - Lianwei Li
- College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Mesoscale Modeling of Agglomeration of Molecular Bottlebrushes: Focus on Conformations and Clustering Criteria. Polymers (Basel) 2022; 14:polym14122339. [PMID: 35745920 PMCID: PMC9227207 DOI: 10.3390/polym14122339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2022] [Revised: 06/03/2022] [Accepted: 06/06/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Using dissipative particle dynamics, we characterize dynamics of aggregation of molecular bottlebrushes in solvents of various qualities by tracking the number of clusters, the size of the largest cluster, and an average aggregation number. We focus on a low volume fraction of bottlebrushes in a range of solvents and probe three different cutoff criteria to identify bottlebrushes belonging to the same cluster. We demonstrate that the cutoff criteria which depend on both the coordination number and the length of the side chain allows one to correlate the agglomeration status with the structural characteristics of bottlebrushes in solvents of various qualities. We characterize conformational changes of the bottlebrush within the agglomerates with respect to those of an isolated bottlebrush in the same solvents. The characterization of bottlebrush conformations within the agglomerates is an important step in understanding the relationship between the bottlebrush architecture and material properties. An analysis of three distinct cutoff criteria to identify bottlebrushes belonging to the same cluster introduces a framework to identify both short-lived transient and long-lived agglomerates; the same approach could be further extended to characterize agglomerates of various macromolecules with complex architectures beyond the specific bottlebrush architecture considered herein.
Collapse
|
4
|
Kang JJ, Sachse C, Ko CH, Schroer MA, Vela SD, Molodenskiy D, Kohlbrecher J, Bushuev NV, Gumerov RA, Potemkin II, Jordan R, Papadakis CM. Rigid-to-Flexible Transition in a Molecular Brush in a Good Solvent at a Semidilute Concentration. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2022; 38:5226-5236. [PMID: 35166545 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.1c02589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The structures of a molecular brush in a good solvent are investigated using synchrotron small-angle X-ray scattering in a wide range of concentrations. The brush under study, PiPOx239-g-PnPrOx14, features a relatively long poly(2-isopropenyl-2-oxazoline) (PiPOx) backbone and short poly(2-n-propyl-2-oxazoline) (PnPrOx) side chains. As a solvent, ethanol is used. By model fitting, the overall size and the persistence length as well as the interaction length and interaction strength are determined. At this, the interplay between form and structure factor is taken into account. The conformation of the molecular brush is traced upon increasing the solution concentration, and a rigid-to-flexible transition is found near the overlap concentration. Finally, the results of computer simulations of the molecular brush solutions confirm the experimental results.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jia-Jhen Kang
- Fachgebiet Physik weicher Materie, Physik-Department, Technische Universität München, James-Franck-Straße 1, 85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Clemens Sachse
- Professur für Makromolekulare Chemie, Fakultät Chemie und Lebensmittelchemie, Technische Universität Dresden, Mommsenstraße 4, 01069 Dresden, Germany
| | - Chia-Hsin Ko
- Fachgebiet Physik weicher Materie, Physik-Department, Technische Universität München, James-Franck-Straße 1, 85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Martin A Schroer
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Hamburg Outstation, c/o Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Stefano Da Vela
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Hamburg Outstation, c/o Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Dmitry Molodenskiy
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Hamburg Outstation, c/o Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Joachim Kohlbrecher
- Laboratory for Neutron Scattering and Imaging, Paul Scherrer Institut, Forschungsstr. 111, 5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland
| | - Nikita V Bushuev
- Physics Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow 119991, Russian Federation
| | - Rustam A Gumerov
- Physics Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow 119991, Russian Federation
| | - Igor I Potemkin
- Physics Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow 119991, Russian Federation
- National Research South Ural State University, Chelyabinsk 454080, Russian Federation
| | - Rainer Jordan
- Professur für Makromolekulare Chemie, Fakultät Chemie und Lebensmittelchemie, Technische Universität Dresden, Mommsenstraße 4, 01069 Dresden, Germany
| | - Christine M Papadakis
- Fachgebiet Physik weicher Materie, Physik-Department, Technische Universität München, James-Franck-Straße 1, 85748 Garching, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Xu X, Xu WS. Melt Properties and String Model Description of Glass Formation in Graft Polymers of Different Side-Chain Lengths. Macromolecules 2022. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.2c00327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Xiaolei Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Polymer Physics and Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, P. R. China
| | - Wen-Sheng Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Polymer Physics and Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, P. R. China
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Ivancic RJS, Orski SV, Audus DJ. Structure-dilute solution property relationships of comb-like macromolecules in a good solvent. Macromolecules 2022; 55:10.1021/acs.macromol.1c02271. [PMID: 36733719 PMCID: PMC9890604 DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.1c02271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
The structural characterization of branched polymers still poses experimental challenges despite their technological potential. This lack of clarity is egregious in linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE), a common industrial plastic. Here, we design a coarse-grain, implicit solvent molecular dynamics model for LLDPE in 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene, a canonical good solvent, that replicates all-atom simulations and experiments. We employ this model to test the relationship between the contraction factors, the ratios of branched to linear dilute solution properties. In particular, we relate the contraction factor of the radius of gyration to that of the intrinsic viscosity and the hydrodynamic radius. The contraction exponents are constant as we vary branch length and spacing in contrast to theoretical expectations. We use this observation to develop a general theory for the dilute solution properties of linear polymers with linear side-chain branches, comb-like macromolecules, in a good solvent and validate the theory by generating master curves for LLDPE.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Robert J. S. Ivancic
- Materials Science and Engineering Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States
| | - Sara V. Orski
- Materials Science and Engineering Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States
| | - Debra J. Audus
- Materials Science and Engineering Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States
| |
Collapse
|