Novel amphiphilic polymers to elucidate the effect of architecture on micellization

具有不同溶解度区域（如水溶性与油溶性）的杂化聚合物称为“两亲性聚合物”。两亲性聚合物的潜在用途包括洗涤剂、乳化剂等。其中一些已在化妆品和制药工业中商业化应用。以前对两亲性聚合物的大部分研究都集中在简单线性链的聚合物组分上。Drs。杜兰大学的Scott Grayson， Alina Alb和Henry Ashbaugh探索各种“非线性”结构的综合，并使用计算机建模和物理分析来研究它们的特性，以识别独特和有用的材料。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的推广工作，向高中生展示课本化学与实际应用之间的联系。该项目特别关注两类聚合物结构：非线性两亲均聚物（AHPs）和“树状”星形聚合物。这项研究工作同时研究了新单体的合成，更好地满足了对不带电两亲体的需求，同时探索了新的环状、星形和笼状结构。第二类聚合物，树状星形聚合物，不仅可以在核心（如传统的星形聚合物），而且可以在极性和非极性块之间的界面上加入分支。该项目开发了星形枝状线性和接枝枝状线性聚合物的模块化合成方法，允许线性块和树突生成的长度独立调整。这些独特结构的合成是由详细的理论建模（Replica Exchange动力学）和最先进的物理表征（例如，具有自动连续混合的光散射耦合）补充的。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.