Synthesis of well-defined biodegradable polymers and study of their materials properties

聚乙烯醇（PVA）是一种重要的商品聚合物，广泛用于粘合剂和保护膜的生产以及生物医学应用。聚乙烯醇（PVA）是由聚醋酸乙烯酯（PVAc）碱性水解而成，工业上采用自由基聚合法合成。这样的方法对合成聚合物的分子特性的工程设计提供了很小的空间，对分子量和群体内的分散性的控制很差。在这里，我们将使用可逆失活自由基聚合（RDRP）技术来生产明确定义的PVAc/PVA材料，并使用一系列x射线和中子散射技术研究其结构和动态性能。PVAc和PVA的氘化类似物也将通过这种途径生产，使我们能够通过离子和中子散射技术研究聚合物膜内的相互扩散。将探索链端官能团的影响，以及通过（嵌段）共聚加入其他单体单元，以期制造具有更高机械强度、改善溶解度或增强流变性能的新型生物可降解材料，从而扩大pva基材料的应用范围。

Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) is an important commodity polymer which is used extensively in the production of adhesives and protective films, and for biomedical applications. PVA is prepared by the alkaline hydrolysis of poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc), synthesized industrially by radical polymerization. Such methods offer little scope for engineering the molecular characteristics of the resultant polymers, with poor control over molecular weights and dispersity within the population. Here, we will use reversible-deactivation radical polymerization (RDRP) techniques to produce well-defined PVAc/PVA materials, and study their structural and dynamic properties using a range of x-ray and neutron scattering techniques. Deuterated analogues of PVAc and PVA will also be produced via this route, allowing us to study interdiffusion within polymer films by ion and neutron scattering techniques. The influence of chain-end functionality, and the inclusion of other monomer units through (block) copolymerization, will be explored with a view to making new biodegradable materials of higher mechanical strength, improved solubility or enhanced rheological properties, thus expanding the scope of the applications of PVA-based materials.