Self-adapting peripherally heterofunctionalized hyperbranched polymers: formation of Janus and tripodal structures

Orthogonally clickable hyperbranched polymers: effect of reactant size and polarity on core-functionalization of peripherally jacketed HBPs

Using an orthogonally clickable strategy, the accessibility of internal allyl groups in jacketed HBPs, bearing either PEG or docosyl peripheral segments, was shown to depend both on the size and relative polarity of the reactant thiol.

Hybrasurfs-A New Class of Hyperbranched Surfactants

A hyperbranched (HB) polyester carrying peripheral allyl groups was prepared by melt-condensation of a suitably designed AB₂ monomer bearing two allyl ester groups and one hydroxyl group. The periphery of the hyperbranched polymer was co-clicked with two different organic thiols, namely, hexadecane thiol and 3-mercaptopropionic acid, using the thiol-ene reaction. Three different samples with varying mole fractions of the hydrophilic carboxylic acid groups were prepared; the conformational adaptability of the hyperbranched polymer backbone permitted these amphiphilic systems to form Janus structures that exhibit surfactant-like properties and, therefore, we have termed them hybrasurfs. These polymers behave like clusters of surfactants that have been stitched at the waist by the HB polymer backbone; the Langmuir isotherms revealed the formation of a monolayer, and in two of the samples having higher mole fractions of hexadecyl segments a weak inflection in the isotherm is seen. This suggests a densification, typically implying the crystallization of the alkyl segment at the air-water interface. The monolayers were transferred onto a substrate, and their heights were estimated using atomic force microscopy; the values thus obtained were in reasonable agreement with the expected value. The water contact angles of the substrates bearing the transferred monolayers of the three different samples (transferred at two different points along the isotherm) were measured; it was seen that the sample carrying the highest mole fraction of hexadecyl chains exhibited a significantly larger contact angle when compared to that of the other two samples. Interestingly, these hybrasurfs also formed vesicles in water and were shown to encapsulate water-soluble dyes, such as Eosin Y. Thus, this class of readily accessible amphiphilic HB polymers that behave as a cluster of surfactants opens some interesting possibilities for further exploration.

Long-subchain Janus-dendritic copolymers from locally confined click reaction and generation-dependent micro-phase separation

Long-subchain Janus-dendritic copolymers composed of PSt and PtBA half-dendrons, up to the third generation, were prepared under alternating chemical and local confinement. All the Janus-dendritic copolymers exhibited generation-dependent microphase separation.

Understanding Self-Segregation of Immiscible Peripheral Segments in Pseudodendritic Hyperbranched Polydithioacetals: Formation of Improved Janus Structures

Peripherally heterofunctionalized hyperbranched polymers (HBPs) undergo immiscibility-driven self-segregation of the outer segments to form Janus molecular entities (Macromolecules 2012, 45, 2348). In HBPs prepared via AB₂ type self-condensation, single-step peripheral heterofunctionalization would lead to random distribution of the two types of terminal units, namely, homofunctionalized (homo-T) and heterofunctionalized (hetero-T) termini. Here, we examine the role of such hetero-T units on the self-segregation of heterofunctionalized pseudodendritic hyperbranched polydithioacetals. Three different heterofunctionalized HB dithioacetals bearing roughly 50 mol % each of docsyl (C-22) and MPEG-350 chains at the periphery were prepared: one of them carried a statistical distribution of homo-T and hetero-T units, and the other carried only two types of homo-T (-TR₁R₁ and -TR₂R₂) termini, whereas the third carried largely hetero-T (-TR₁R₂) termini. Careful examination of DSC and SAXS data reveals that the self-segregation is most effective in HBPs devoid of hetero-T units; interestingly, however, it also showed that randomly heterofunctionalized HBPs self-segregated nearly as effectively.

Anomalous thermally induced pinning of a liquid drop on a solid substrate

The effect of substrate temperature on the wetting and spreading behavior of a UV ink monomer has been studied as a surrogate for the ink on four different substrates: DTC (digital top coat)-coated BOPP (biaxial oriented polypropylene), Flexo-coated BOPP, DTC-coated SGE (semigloss elite) paper, and Flexo-coated SGE paper. Results show that the dynamic contact angles of the monomer decrease exponentially over time after contacting the surface, and the rate of spreading is consistently higher at 95 °C than at 22 °C. This observation indicates that spreading is controlled by the viscosity of the monomer as it decreases with temperature. An anomalous temperature effect is observed for the static contact angle on the DTC-coated BOPP substrate. The static contact angle at 95 °C is significantly larger than that at 22 °C (52° versus 30°). This is counterintuitive, as the surface tension of the monomer is shown to decease with increasing temperature. Microscopy (SEM and AFM) studies suggest that there is little interaction between the DTC coating solution and the BOPP substrate during the fast-drying coating process. This results in a smooth coated surface and, more importantly, voids between the BOPP nanofibers underneath the DTC coating. As the DTC-BOPP substrate is heated to 95 °C, fiber expansions occur. Microscopy results show that nanosized protrusions are formed on the DTC surface. We attribute it to fiber expansions in the vertical direction. Fiber expansions in the lateral direction causes little surface morphology change as the expanded materials only fill the voids laterally between the nanofiber network. We suggest that the protrusions on the surface create strong resistance to the wetting process and pin the monomer drop into a metastable wetting state. This interpretation is supported by the sliding angle and sessile drop height experiments.