U.S.-Hungary Materials Research: Effects of Polymer Architecture on the Aggregation Behavior of Amphiphilic Block Copolymers in Water

[0099682] Faust， rudolff美国-匈牙利研究项目，由马萨诸塞大学的Rudolf Faust和他的合作伙伴，德国德布森Lajos Kossuth大学的Miklos Zsuga共同完成，通过活性阳离子聚合合成具有非线性结构的新型两亲嵌段共聚物，并研究结构对其聚集行为的影响。基于他们之前开发的采用静态光和动态光散射的方法，研究人员打算研究不同温度下嵌段共聚物胶束在水中对结构参数的影响，如聚集数、总体尺寸、核和壳尺寸。他们的研究结果可能会产生一些相对便宜的两亲体和非离子表面活性剂，这些表面活性剂具有许多潜在的应用前景，但必须更好地了解其结构以优化其性能。在稀水溶液中，超过临界胶束浓度，两亲嵌段共聚物自组装成具有疏水不溶核和亲水壳的胶束。美国和匈牙利的研究小组认为，嵌段共聚物的结构（星形、h形、接枝等）是胶束形成的重要参数。考虑到这一点，他们打算合成由疏水聚异丁烯（PIB）和亲水聚甲基乙烯醚（PMeVE）片段组成的非线性块结构。他们期望得到的两亲性星嵌段共聚物可以作为表征大分子两亲性和非离子表面活性剂的结构/性质关系的模型聚合物。该聚合物研究项目通过使美国和中欧的专家能够结合互补的人才和共享共同感兴趣和能力的领域的研究资源，实现了推进科学知识的计划目标。

INT 0099682Faust, RudolfThis U.S.-Hungarian research project between Rudolf Faust at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell, and his partner Miklos Zsuga of Lajos Kossuth University, Debrecen, features synthesis of novel amphiphilic block copolymers with non-linear architectures by living cationic polymerization and the study of architectural effects on their aggregation behavior. Building upon their previously developed methodologies that employ static light and dynamic light scattering, the researchers intend to investigate the architectural effects on structural parameters such as aggregation number, overall size, core, and shell dimensions of block copolymer micelles in water at different temperatures. Their results may yield some relatively inexpensive amphiphiles and non-ionic surfactants with many potential applications, but for which structure must be better understood to optimize performance.Above the critical micelle concentration in dilute aqueous solutions, amphiphilic block copolymers self-assemble into micelles with a hydrophobic insoluble core and a hydrophilic shell. The U.S.-Hungarian team maintains that block copolymer architecture (star-shaped, H-shaped, graft etc.) is an important parameter in micelle formation. With this in mind, they intend to synthesize non-linear block architectures consisting of hydrophobic polyisobutylene (PIB) and hydrophilic poly(methyl vinyl ether) (PMeVE) segments. They expect resulting amphiphilic star-block copolymers to serve as model polymers for characterizing architecture/property relationships of macromolecular amphiphiles and non-ionic surfactants. This polymer research project fulfills the program objective of advancing scientific knowledge by enabling experts in the United States and Central Europe to combine complementary talents and share research resources in areas of strong mutual interest and competence.