Novel amphiphilic polymers to elucidate the effect of architecture on micellization

表现出不同溶解度区域(例如，水溶和油溶)的杂化聚合物被称为两亲性聚合物。两亲性聚合物在洗涤剂、乳化剂等方面具有潜在的应用价值，其中一些已经在化妆品和制药工业中得到了商业应用。以前对两亲性聚合物的大部分研究都集中在简单的线性链的聚合物组分上。杜兰大学的Scott Grayson博士、Alina Alb博士和Henry Ashbaugh博士探索了各种“非线性”建筑的合成，并使用计算机建模和物理分析来研究它们的特性，以确定独特和有用的材料。作为一个不可或缺的组成部分，本科生和研究生接受最先进的实验室技术培训，为他们在聚合物行业的职业生涯提供技术基础。此外，该项目还支持新奥尔良公立学校化学课堂上正在进行的外展工作，向高中生展示教科书化学与其实际应用之间的联系。该项目特别关注两类聚合物结构：非线性两亲性均聚物(AHPs)和树枝状星形聚合物。这项研究工作同时研究了新单体的合成，以更好地满足对不带电荷的两亲分子的需求，同时探索新的环状、星形和笼状结构。第二类聚合物，树枝状星形聚合物，不仅可以在核心(像传统的星形聚合物)，而且可以在极性和非极性嵌段之间的界面上加入支化。该项目开发了星形-树枝状和接枝-树枝状线形聚合物的模块化合成方法，允许线性段的长度和树枝状物的生成独立调整。这些独特的体系结构的合成得到了详细的理论建模(副本交换动力学)和最先进的物理表征(例如，光散射与自动连续混合)的补充。详细探讨了结构参数、自组装行为和聚合物性能之间的关系。

Hybrid polymers that exhibit regions of contrasting solubility (e.g. water-soluble versus oil-soluble) are termed "amphiphilic polymers". Amphiphilic polymers are potentially useful in a range of applications including detergents, emulsifying agents, etc. Some of them have already been utilized commercially in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. The majority of previous research on amphiphilic polymers has focused on polymeric components that are simple linear strands. Drs. Scott Grayson, Alina Alb, and Henry Ashbaugh at Tulane University explore the synthesis of various "non-linear" architectures and study their properties using both computer modeling and physical analysis to identify unique and useful materials. As an integral component, undergraduate and graduate students are trained in state-of-the-art laboratory techniques to provide them with a technical foundation for careers in the polymer industry. In addition, this project supports ongoing outreach efforts in New Orleans public school chemistry classes to demonstrate to the high school students the connections between textbook chemistry and its real-world applications.This project focuses specifically on two classes of polymer architecture: non-linear amphiphilic homopolymers (AHPs) and "dendrimer-like" star polymers. This research effort simultaneously investigates the synthesis of new monomers that better address the need for uncharged amphiphiles, while exploring novel cyclic, star, and caged architectures. The second class of polymers, dendrimer-like star polymers, enables the incorporation of branching not only at the core (like traditional star polymers) but also at the interface between the polar and non-polar blocks. This project develops modular synthetic approaches to star-dendritic-linear and graft-dendritic-linear polymers, which allow the length of the linear blocks and dendron generation to be independently tuned. The synthesis of these unique architectures is complemented by detailed theoretical modeling (Replica Exchange dynamics) and state of the art physical characterization (e.g., light scattering couple with automatic continuous mixing). The relationship between the structural parameters, the resultant self-assembly behavior, and polymer properties are explored in detail.