1
|
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.
Collapse
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
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
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.
Collapse
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
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Zhao C, Ma Z, Zhu X. Rational design of thermoresponsive polymers in aqueous solutions: A thermodynamics map. Prog Polym Sci 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.progpolymsci.2019.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
|
4
|
Budkov YA, Kolesnikov AL. Models of the Conformational Behavior of Polymers in Mixed Solvents. POLYMER SCIENCE SERIES C 2018. [DOI: 10.1134/s1811238218020030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
|
5
|
Keidel R, Ghavami A, Lugo DM, Lotze G, Virtanen O, Beumers P, Pedersen JS, Bardow A, Winkler RG, Richtering W. Time-resolved structural evolution during the collapse of responsive hydrogels: The microgel-to-particle transition. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2018; 4:eaao7086. [PMID: 29740608 PMCID: PMC5938240 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aao7086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2017] [Accepted: 02/20/2018] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Adaptive hydrogels, often termed smart materials, are macromolecules whose structure adjusts to external stimuli. Responsive micro- and nanogels are particularly interesting because the small length scale enables very fast response times. Chemical cross-links provide topological constraints and define the three-dimensional structure of the microgels, whereas their porous structure permits fast mass transfer, enabling very rapid structural adaption of the microgel to the environment. The change of microgel structure involves a unique transition from a flexible, swollen finite-size macromolecular network, characterized by a fuzzy surface, to a colloidal particle with homogeneous density and a sharp surface. In this contribution, we determine, for the first time, the structural evolution during the microgel-to-particle transition. Time-resolved small-angle x-ray scattering experiments and computer simulations unambiguously reveal a two-stage process: In a first, very fast process, collapsed clusters form at the periphery, leading to an intermediate, hollowish core-shell structure that slowly transforms to a globule. This structural evolution is independent of the type of stimulus and thus applies to instantaneous transitions as in a temperature jump or to slower stimuli that rely on the uptake of active molecules from and/or exchange with the environment. The fast transitions of size and shape provide unique opportunities for various applications as, for example, in uptake and release, catalysis, or sensing.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rico Keidel
- Chair of Technical Thermodynamics, Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule (RWTH) Aachen University, Schinkelstrasse 8, 52062 Aachen, Germany
| | - Ali Ghavami
- Institute for Advanced Simulation, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425 Jülich, Germany
| | - Dersy M. Lugo
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, Landoltweg 2, 52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - Gudrun Lotze
- European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF), ID02–Time-Resolved Ultra Small-Angle X-Ray Scattering, 71 Avenue des Martyrs, CS 40220, 38043 Grenoble Cedex 9, France
| | - Otto Virtanen
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, Landoltweg 2, 52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - Peter Beumers
- Chair of Technical Thermodynamics, Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule (RWTH) Aachen University, Schinkelstrasse 8, 52062 Aachen, Germany
| | - Jan Skov Pedersen
- Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center (iNANO) and Department of Chemistry, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Andre Bardow
- Chair of Technical Thermodynamics, Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule (RWTH) Aachen University, Schinkelstrasse 8, 52062 Aachen, Germany
- Institute of Energy and Climate Research: Energy Systems Engineering (IEK-10), Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425 Jülich, Germany
| | - Roland G. Winkler
- Institute for Advanced Simulation, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425 Jülich, Germany
- Corresponding author. (W.R.); (R.G.W.)
| | - Walter Richtering
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, Landoltweg 2, 52056 Aachen, Germany
- DWI–Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials, Forckenbeckstrasse 50, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
- Corresponding author. (W.R.); (R.G.W.)
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Bharadwaj S, Sunil Kumar PB, Komura S, Deshpande AP. Kosmotropic effect leads to LCST decrease in thermoresponsive polymer solutions. J Chem Phys 2018; 148:084903. [DOI: 10.1063/1.5012838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Swaminath Bharadwaj
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600036,
India
| | - P. B. Sunil Kumar
- Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Palakkad, Ahalia Integrated Campus, Kozhippara, Palakkad
678557, India
| | - Shigeyuki Komura
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo 192-0397,
Japan
| | - Abhijit P. Deshpande
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600036,
India
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Budkov YA, Kiselev MG. Flory-type theories of polymer chains under different external stimuli. JOURNAL OF PHYSICS. CONDENSED MATTER : AN INSTITUTE OF PHYSICS JOURNAL 2018; 30:043001. [PMID: 29271365 DOI: 10.1088/1361-648x/aa9f56] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
In this Review, we present a critical analysis of various applications of the Flory-type theories to a theoretical description of the conformational behavior of single polymer chains in dilute polymer solutions under a few external stimuli. Different theoretical models of flexible polymer chains in the supercritical fluid are discussed and analysed. Different points of view on the conformational behavior of the polymer chain near the liquid-gas transition critical point of the solvent are presented. A theoretical description of the co-solvent-induced coil-globule transitions within the implicit-solvent-explicit-co-solvent models is discussed. Several explicit-solvent-explicit-co-solvent theoretical models of the coil-to-globule-to-coil transition of the polymer chain in a mixture of good solvents (co-nonsolvency) are analysed and compared with each other. Finally, a new theoretical model of the conformational behavior of the dielectric polymer chain under the external constant electric field in the dilute polymer solution with an explicit account for the many-body dipole correlations is discussed. The polymer chain collapse induced by many-body dipole correlations of monomers in the context of statistical thermodynamics of dielectric polymers is analysed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yu A Budkov
- Tikhonov Moscow Institute of Electronics and Mathematics, School of Applied Mathematics, National Research University Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russia. Laboratory of NMR Spectroscopy and Numerical Investigations of Liquids, G.A. Krestov Institute of Solution Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Ivanovo, Russia
| | | |
Collapse
|
8
|
Zheng X, Anisimov MA, Sengers JV, He M. Mesoscopic Diffusion of Poly(ethylene oxide) in Pure and Mixed Solvents. J Phys Chem B 2017; 122:3454-3464. [PMID: 29131952 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.7b10420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
We present results from an experimental dynamic light-scattering study of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) in both a pure solvent (water) and a mixed solvent (tert-butanol + water). The concentration dependence of the diffusive relaxation of the PEO molecules is found to be typical of polymers in a good solvent. However, the mesoscopic diffusive behavior of PEO in the mixed solvent is very different, indicating an initial collapse and subsequent reswelling of PEO caused by co-nonsolvency. Furthermore, in the solutions of PEO with very large molecular weights, we found additional hydrodynamic modes indicating the presence of PEO clusters and aggregates similar to those found by some other investigators.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xiong Zheng
- Institute for Physical Science and Technology and Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering , University of Maryland , College Park , Maryland 20742 , United States.,Key Laboratory of Thermo-Fluid Science and Engineering , Ministry of Education, Xi'an Jiaotong University , Xi'an , Shaanxi Province 710049 , People's Republic of China
| | - Mikhail A Anisimov
- Institute for Physical Science and Technology and Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering , University of Maryland , College Park , Maryland 20742 , United States.,Oil and Gas Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences , Moscow 117333 , Russia
| | - Jan V Sengers
- Institute for Physical Science and Technology and Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering , University of Maryland , College Park , Maryland 20742 , United States
| | - Maogang He
- Key Laboratory of Thermo-Fluid Science and Engineering , Ministry of Education, Xi'an Jiaotong University , Xi'an , Shaanxi Province 710049 , People's Republic of China
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Budkov YA, Kolesnikov AL. Statistical description of co-nonsolvency suppression at high pressures. SOFT MATTER 2017; 13:8362-8367. [PMID: 29116278 DOI: 10.1039/c7sm01637a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
We present an application of Flory-type theory of a flexible polymer chain dissolved in a binary mixture of solvents to theoretical description of co-nonsolvency. We show that our theoretical predictions are in good quantitative agreement with the recently published MD simulation results for the conformational behavior of a Lennard-Jones flexible chain in a binary mixture of the Lennard-Jones fluids. We show that our theory is able to describe co-nonsolvency suppression through pressure enhancement to extremely high values recently discovered in experiments and reproduced by full atomistic MD simulations. By analysing the co-solvent concentration in the internal polymer volume at different pressure values, we speculate that this phenomenon is caused by the suppression of the co-solvent preferential solvation of the polymer backbone at the rather high pressure imposed. We show that when the co-solvent-induced coil-globule transition takes place, the entropy and enthalpy contributions to the solvation free energy abruptly decrease, while the solvation free energy remains continuous.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yu A Budkov
- Tikhonov Moscow Institute of Electronics and Mathematics, School of Applied Mathematics, National Research University Higher School of Economics, Tallinskaya St. 34, 123458 Moscow, Russia.
| | | |
Collapse
|
10
|
Pica A, Graziano G. Comment on "Relating side chain organization of PNIPAm with its conformation in aqueous methanol" by D. Mukherji, M. Wagner, M. D. Watson, S. Winzen, T. E. de Oliveira, C. M. Marques and K. Kremer, Soft Matter, 2016, 12, 7995. SOFT MATTER 2017; 13:7698-7700. [PMID: 29051960 DOI: 10.1039/c7sm01065f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
In a recent article, Kremer and co-workers have combined NMR measurements and very long, all-atom MD simulations to strengthen their original claim that PNIPAM cononsolvency in water-methanol solutions is driven by the ability of MeOH molecules to bridge different monomers far away along the polymeric chain. In this comment, the results presented by Kremer and co-workers are reviewed, analyzed, and questioned regarding their ability to provide support to the bridging mechanism. Here, some pieces of evidence are provided to show that: (1) the solvent-excluded volume effect plays always a fundamental role in polymer collapse; (2) PNIPAM cononsolvency is caused by the geometric-energetic frustration experienced by the polymer when it can interact with both water and methanol molecules at the same time.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Pica
- Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II Complesso Universitario di Monte Sant'Angelo, Via Cintia, 80126 Napoli, Italy
| | | |
Collapse
|
11
|
Dalgicdir C, Rodríguez-Ropero F, van der Vegt NFA. Computational Calorimetry of PNIPAM Cononsolvency in Water/Methanol Mixtures. J Phys Chem B 2017; 121:7741-7748. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.7b05960] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Cahit Dalgicdir
- Eduard-Zintl-Institut für
Anorganische und Physikalische Chemie, Center of Smart Interfaces, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Francisco Rodríguez-Ropero
- Eduard-Zintl-Institut für
Anorganische und Physikalische Chemie, Center of Smart Interfaces, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Nico F. A. van der Vegt
- Eduard-Zintl-Institut für
Anorganische und Physikalische Chemie, Center of Smart Interfaces, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Mochizuki K, Sumi T, Koga K. Influence of co-non-solvency on hydrophobic molecules driven by excluded volume effect. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2017; 19:23915-23918. [DOI: 10.1039/c7cp04152g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
We demonstrate by molecular dynamics simulation that co-non-solvency of hydrophobic molecules arises from solvent-excluded volume effect.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kenji Mochizuki
- Department of Chemistry
- The University of Utah
- Salt Lake City
- USA
- Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science
| | - Tomonari Sumi
- Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science
- Okayama University
- Okayama 700-8530
- Japan
- Department of Chemistry
| | - Kenichiro Koga
- Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science
- Okayama University
- Okayama 700-8530
- Japan
- Department of Chemistry
| |
Collapse
|