Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Telechelic polymers'

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Kyoto University (京都大学)
0048
新制・論文博士
博士(工学)
乙第7878号
論工博第2588号
新制||工||878(附属図書館)
UT51-92-K378
(主査)教授 東村 敏延, 教授 今西 幸男, 教授 宮本 武明
学位規則第4条第2項該当

Telechelic associating polymer networks consist of polymer chains terminated by endgroups that have a different chemical composition than the polymer backbone. When dissolved in a solution, the endgroups cluster together to form aggregates. At low temperature, a strongly connected reversible network is formed and the system behaves like a gel. Telechelic networks are of interest since they are representative for biopolymer networks (e.g. F-actin) and are widely used in medical applications (e.g. hydrogels for tissue engineering, wound dressings) and consumer products (e.g. contact lenses, paint thickeners). In this thesis such systems are studied by means of a molecular dynamics/Monte Carlo simulation. At first, the system in rest is studied by means of graph theory. The changes in network topology upon cooling to the gel state, are characterized. Hereto an extensive study of the eigenvalue spectrum of the gel network is performed. As a result, an in-depth investigation of the eigenvalue spectra for spatial ER, scale-free, and small-world networks is carried out. Next, the gel under the application of a constant shear is studied, with a focus on shear banding and the changes in topology under shear. Finally, the relation between the gel transition and percolation is discussed.

Conjugated organic polymers have attracted immense interest for use in the active layer of photovoltaic cells, electroluminescent displays and diagnostic sensors. Precise control of the chemical structure of these conjugated materials is essential to achieve better device performance and certain structural aspects which have received minimal investigation include; the nature of the end groups, the precise control of the molecular weight and the formation of novel polymer topologies. Absolute control of these factors, in particular the end groups, has the potential to further tune the electro-optical properties, eliminate charge trapping and reactive sites, and facilitate block copolymer formation. The ring opening metathesis polymerisation of highly strained cyclophanediene monomers has proven to be an advantageous route to obtain soluble poly(p-phenylenevinylene)s (PPVs). In an extension of this previous work PPVs with both a pristine polymer backbone microstructure and a range of well-defined functional end groups have been prepared. These polymers exhibited excellent degrees of functionality, relatively narrow unimodal distributions and degrees of polymerisation much higher than those attainable by alternate routes. In particular the incorporation of an α-bromoester end group directly resulted in PPVs which were effective macroinitiators in the atom transfer radical polymerisation of methyl methacrylate. The diblock copolymers prepared by this route were isolated with narrow polydispersities, unimodal distributions and were free from homopolymer impurities. This method of preparing rod-b-coil diblock copolymers, where the properties of the two segments can readily be modified, provides access to materials which are of interest for both their self-assembly ability and for the development of a much required phase diagram in this area. Cyclic PPVs are of synthetic interest both for the absence of any end groups and for an infinitely long π-conjugated backbone, both of which are expected to contribute to unique electro-optical properties. The preparation of these target polymers was investigated by the ring expansion metathesis polymerisation of the cyclophanediene monomers. The formation of purely cyclic, low molecular weight PPVs was found to be highly dependent on both the reaction conditions used and the nature of the solubilising substituents. For example the preparation of purely cyclic PPVs with alkoxy side chains was unsuccessful, however the incorporation of alkyl side chains allowed for the successful isolation of the desired cyclic polymers.

Les travaux portent sur la synthèse des (co)polyoléfines bis(trialcoxysilyle) téléchéliques, liquides à température ambiante, pour des applications adhésives. La première approche est consacrée à la combinaison de la polymérisation par ouverture de cycle par métathèse (ROMP) et de la métathèse croisée (CM) d'une cyclooléfine ou d'un mélange de cyclooléfines en présence d'une oléfine trialcoxysilyle monofonctionnelle ou difonctionnelle agissant comme agent de transfert (CTA) et d'un catalyseur à base de ruthénium. Il est montré que l'efficacité de la réaction et la sélectivité / fonctionnalité des polymères dépendent notamment de la nature du solvant, du CTA, du catalyseur, et de l'utilisation (ou pas) de benzoquinone comme additif inhibiteur de l'isomérisation. Une très grande productivité catalytique (turnover number, TON, jusque 100 000) a été obtenue avec les conditions optimisées. La viscosité du copolymère a été contrôlée par ajustement de la nature et du ratio des co-monomères. La deuxième approche est consacrée à la dépolymérisation du polybutadiène (PBD) liquide à haute teneur en 1,4-cis en présence d'un CTA et d'un catalyseur au ruthénium. L'efficacité et la sélectivité de la réaction ont été optimisées en variant la méthode de la purification du PBD commercial, la nature du catalyseur et le protocole opératoire. Cette approche est néanmoins moins efficace que la première
The work presented focuses on the synthesis of liquid (at room temperature) bis(trialkoxysilyl) telechelic polyolefins for adhesive applications. The first approach relies on the combined ring-opening metathesis polymerization/cross metathesis (ROMP/CM) of a cycloolefin or a mixture of cycloolefins using a trialkoxysilyl mono- or difunctionalized alkene acting as a chain transfer agent (CTA) and a ruthenium-based catalyst. The efficiency of the reaction and selectivity of the polymer functionality were found to depend much on the nature of the CTA, the catalyst, the solvent and the use of benzoquinone additive as isomerization inhibitor. A high catalytic productivity with a turnover number (TON) up to 100 000 was obtained under optimized conditions. The viscosity of polymers was controlled by adjusting the nature and the ratio of comonomers. The second approach is dedicated to the depolymerization of liquid high 1,4-cis polybutadiene (PBD) in the presence of a CTA and a ruthenium catalyst. The catalytic productivity and selectivity were optimized by changing the method of purification of the commercial PBD, the nature of catalyst and the reaction protocol. This second approach remains, however, less efficient than the first one

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2009.
Committee Chair: Marcus Weck; Committee Member: Bunz, Uwe; Committee Member: Collard, David; Committee Member: Jones, Christopher; Committee Member: Payne, Christine

Novel poly(ethylene isophthalate) (PEI) and poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) polymers containing terminal units derived from sodio 3-sulfobenzoic acid (SSBA) were synthesized using catalyzed melt polymerization techniques. Various concentrations of the ionic end group, SSBA, were successfully incorporated in a telechelic fashion. For comparison, polyesters containing telechelic alkyl groups with controllable molecular weights were also synthesized. Furthermore, ionic copolymers of dimethyl isophthalate and trans-cyclohexane dicarboxylate, dimethyl isophthalate and dimethyl terephthalate were synthesized to study the influences of polarity and rigidity of the polymer chain backbone on material properties. Novel branched polyester ionomers using trimellitic anhydride were also prepared. In addition to modifying the polymer compositions, PET ionomers were blended with zinc stearate to investigate the effect of plasticizer on the melt processibilty of the ionomers. FTIR spectroscopy, which was used to quantify the sulfonate end groups for all of the ionomers, indicated an absorbance peak for the S-O stretching mode between 600-700 cm-1. 1H NMR spectroscopy was used to confirm the structure of the ionic and non-ionic polyesters, as well as to verify the presence of the terminal groups. By systematically varying the chemical structure of these ionomer model systems (i.e., altering the contents of ionic functional groups), detailed characterizations were carried out, wherein the ionic interactions/aggregations in the ionomers were found to play an important role in the resulting material properties. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) measurements were performed to study the effects of ionic groups and oligomer composition on the thermal properties of the polyesters. The glass transition temperatures of the ionomers revealed that the ionic interaction helped to maintain the structural integrity of the polymer chains, thus limiting their mobility. The dilute solution viscosity behavior of the ionomers exhibited upward curvature, which is a key characteristic of an ionomer. In PEI ionomers, the ionic aggregates formed at lower temperatures (<150 °C), while at higher temperatures (>150 °C), the ionic aggregations dissociated and behaved similarly to oligomers with lower molecular weights. Dodecanol was used as an effective end-capper to control the molecular weight of the non-ionic polyesters. In addition to telechelic ionic PEI and PET homopolymers, copolymers of poly(ethylene isophthalate-co-trans-1,4-cyclohexane dicarboxylate) (PEI-co-trans-CHDC) and poly(ethylene isophthalate-co-terephthalate) (PEIT) telechelic ionomers were also synthesized and characterized. Introducing trans-1,4-cyclohexane dicarboxylate into PEI ionomers decreased the polarity and packing regularity of the polymer chains. Also, the kinked-structure of dimethyl isophthalate reduced the regularity of the polymer chains in PET ionomers, thus reducing their propensity for rapid crystallization. Crystallization kinetics were studied for both ionic and alkyl telechelic polyesters, and resulting data revealed that the nature of the endgroup had a dramatic effect on crystallization from the melt state. The catalyst residue in the polymers also affected the crystallization rate for both ionic and non-ionic polyesters. With regard to the ionomers, antimony catalyst interacted with ionic aggregates, further increasing the crystallization rate. Branched PEI and PET ionomers showed an increase in melt strength. After blending with zinc stearate, the melt viscosity of the PET ionomers dropped dramatically.
Master of Science

Three-dimensional (3D) printing has an important role for fabrication of degradable scaffoldsfor soft tissue regeneration. Among the 3D printing techniques, photopolymerization-based 3Dprinting is one of fastest growing, offering environmental benefits and high precision of 3Dobjects. In this approach, photocurable macromonomers/monomers are cross-linked layer bylayer in the presence of photoinitiators under visible or UV light to fabricate 3D designedobjects. However, a limited biomedical material selection has prevented it from spreading overclinical application. Furthermore, poly(ε-caprolactone), a common degradable polymer usedfor 3D printing, shows not satisfactory physical properties for soft tissue regeneration. Thedearth of materials with proper properties raises the need for novel degradable materials,which should be not only compatible for photopolymerization-based 3D printing but alsosuitable for soft and gel-like scaffold fabrication. Here, the aim was to design photocurable macromonomers consisting of oligo(ε-caprolactoneran-p-dioxanone), oCLDX, with acrylate chain-end groups. A metal-free synthetic strategy wasdeveloped for the bulk ring-opening of ε-caprolactone (CL) and p-dioxanone (DX) at roomtemperature using diphenyl phosphate (DPP) as organocatalyst and multifunctional initiators. The oligomers had low dispersity (<1.2) and targeted molecular weight around 2000 g mol-1.The random sequence and the control over chain growth of oCLDXs were confirmed byreactivity ratios using 1D and 2D NMR analysis. Kinetics study of co-oligomerizationdemonstrated that within DPP-catalysed reaction, DX possessed higher reactivity than CL andthe ring-opening co-oligomerization followed an activated monomer mechanism (AMM). Thetopology of the co-oligomers could also be varied by using different alcohol initiators. The co-oligomers possessed lower degree of crystallinity than homopolymers of DX or CL and,depending on the composition, they were liquid at room temperature. The lower melting pointand gel-like appearance make them good candidates for photopolymerization-based 3Dprinting. The suitability toward photopolymerization was proven for the ethylene glycol-initiatedco-oligomer containing 30 mol% of DX. The cross-linked gels were soft but brittle and showedgood water uptake capacity.
Tredimensionell (3D)-utskrift har en viktig roll vid tillverkning av nedbrytbara matriser förregenerering av mjukvävnad. Bland 3D-utskriftteknikerna är fotopolymerisationsbaserad 3Dutskriften av de snabbast växande, och erbjuder miljöfördelar och hög precision hos 3Dobjekten.För att tillverka 3D-designade objekt med denna teknik är fotohärdandemakromonomerer/ monomerer tvärbundna lager på lager i närvaro av fotoinitiatorer och synligteller UV-ljus. Emellertid har ett begränsat urval av biomedicinska material hindrat tekniken frånatt spridas till kliniska applikationer. Vidare har poly(ε-kaprolakton), en vanlig nedbrytbarpolymer som används för 3D-utskrift, inte tillfredsställande fysikaliska egenskaper förregenerering av mjukvävnad. Bristen på material med rätt egenskaper ökar behovet av nyanedbrytbara material, som inte bara ska vara kompatibla för fotopolymerisationsbaserad 3Dutskriftutan också lämplig för mjuk och gelliknande matristillverkning.Här var syftet att designa fotohärdande makromonomerer bestående av oligo(ε-kaprolaktonsam-p-dioxanon), oCLDX, med akrylatkedjeändgrupper. En metallfri syntetisk strategiutvecklades för bulkringöppning av ε-kaprolakton (CL) och p-dioxanon (DX) vidrumstemperatur genom att använda difenylfosfat (DPP) som organisk katalysator ochmultifunktionella initiatorer. Oligomererna hade den förutbestämda molekylvikten, omkring2000 g mol-1, och en låg dispersitet (<1,2). Den slumpmässiga sekvensen och kontrollen avkedjans tillväxt, till oCLDX, bekräftades genom reaktivitetsförhållanden med hjälp av 1D och2D NMR-analys. Kinetikstudie av samoligomeriseringen visade att med DPP-katalyseradreaktion hade DX högre reaktivitet än CL och att den ringöppnande samoligomeriseringenföljde en aktiverad monomermekanism (AMM). Topologin hos samoligomererna kunde ocksåvarieras genom att använda olika alkoholinitiatorer. Samoligomererna hade lägre grad av kristallinitet än homopolymerer av DX eller CL ochberoende på kompositionen var de flytande vid rumstemperatur. Den lägre smältpunkten ochgelliknande utseendet gör dem till bra kandidater för fotopolymerisationsbaserad 3D-utskrift. Lämpligheten för fotopolymerisation bevisades för den etylenglykolinitierade samoligomerensom innehöll 30 mol% DX. De tvärbundna gelerna var mjuka men spröda och uppvisade godvattenupptagningskapacitet.

Octafluorobiphenylene-linked bis(cyclopentadienone) was prepared bearing one perfluoro-4-tolyl and one tert-butyl substituent on the terminal diene rings. Polymerizations with 1,4- and 1,3-diethynylbenzene afforded linear Diels-Alder polyphenylenes (DAPPs) having lateral tert-butyl and perfluoro-4-tolyl substituents. The perfluoro-4-tolyl-substituted DAPPs are thermally stable, glassy solids (Tg ~ 230 deg C) that could not be cast into stable films (Mn ~ 10kDa, DPn ~ 10). New compounds perfluoro(1-phenyl-1-octanone) and perfluoro(1,1-diphenyl-1-octanol) were prepared from pentafluorophenylmagnesium bromide and perfluorooctanoyl chloride by nucleophilic acyl substitution and addition reactions. Diels-Alder reactions of 1,2-bis(nonafluorobiphenyl-4-yl)-4-tert-butylcyclopentadiene (CPD-1) with N-(4-fluorophenyl)maleimide (FMI) were explored as models for cyclopentadiene-maleimide-based Diels-Alder polymerizations. Mixtures of five endo/exo adducts were obtained, dependent upon CPD-1 tautomers present at reaction temperatures. The thermodynamic adduct (B3LYP/6-31G* geometry optimizations) was found to be the exo DA adduct of FMI and 2,3-bis(nonafluorobiphenyl-4-yl)-5-tert-butylcyclopentadiene. Five of the six possible isomers were observed and characterized including two by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Parallel reactions of FMI and 1,2-bis(pentafluorophenyl)-4-tert-butylcyclopentadiene yielded three crystallographically characterized isomers, and with 1H NMR and 19F NMR spectrometry, including 1-D NOE, allowed five isomeric products to be identified. Diene CPD-1 is reactive toward nucleophiles (such as potassium 4-methylphenoxide) at the 4-positions of the C12F9 groups. Using this reactivity pattern, CPD-1 was polymerized with bis(phenol) A (BPA) and bis(phenol-A-6F) (BPAF) to form linear poly(arylene ethers) (Mn ~35 kDa) containing backbone cyclopentadienes. These polymers are glassy solids (Tg ~ 220 deg C) with good thermal stability (Td ~ 290 deg C), and they form stable, creaseable films cast from chloroform solutions. Treatment with 1.5-5.0% of 1,6-bis(N-maleimido)dodecane in N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc) at 165 deg C gave insoluble, solvent-swellable networks confirmed using ATR-FTIR. CPD-1 was also used as a cyclopentadiene-based linking group for chain extension of phenol-terminated methyl-PEEK oligomers (PEEKMOHs) with Mn values of 2, 5, and 10 kDa. These polymers are glassy solids (Tg ~ 156 deg C) with good thermal stability (Td ~ 400 deg C), that form stable, creaseable films from chloroform. Segmented polymers were treated with FMI in NMP, and showed functionalization density of approximately 50% by 19F NMR. Segmented polymers were also cross-linked by reaction of 1,6-bis(N-maleimido)hexane (cyclopentadiene to maleimide functional group ratio of 1:1) in NMP at 140 deg C.
Ph. D.

Organolithium reagents containing primary carbanionic center substituted with hydroxyl-carrying mixed acetals (i.e., $\alpha$-butoxyethyl ether, $\alpha$-isobutoxyethyl ether, $\alpha$-isooctoxyethyl ether) have been prepared in high yields. The synthesis for the precursors and the synthesis of the organolithium reagent without any side products has been developed. Solubilities of these initiators in various hydrocarbon solvents has been tested. All the initiators were soluble in benzene but partially soluble in hexane. Various strategies have been devised to synthesize polymers with high 1,4 chain units and narrow molecular weight distribution. Anionic polymerization of butadiene or isoprene using hydroxyl-blocked functional anionic initiators was achieved. The living polydienyllithium or polyisoprenyllithium was coupled with chlorosilanes to give 2-, 3-, or 4-armed material. Any uncoupled material was fractionated from the coupled material. The acetal moiety was hydrolyzed to give hydroxyl terminated telechelic polymers. The polymers have been characterized with regard to end group, quantitative functionalities, molecular weights, molecular weight distribution and microstructures. This thesis also describes the synthesis of hydroxyl-blocked functional anionic initiator containing a secondary carbanionic center. This initiator proved to be hexane soluble. Butadiene was polymerized in hexane using the hydroxyl-blocked secondary anionic initiator to obtain polymers with high 1,4 chain units and narrow molecular weight distributions.

The non-linear rheology of ordinary linear polymers and linear polymers with associable end-group has been examined by means of modeling. This work is motivated by discrepancies between experiments and existing theoretical expectations in the non-linear regime. In the case of associating polymers, we aim at understanding the break-down of Cox-Merz rule, shear thickening, and strain hardening of shear startup, while for conventional linear polymers we focus on the discrepancies typically encountered in the fast uniaxial extensional flows. It is appropriate to mention that most efforts are related to developing a stochastic simulation of associating telechelic polymers (part 1) while the studies of linear polymers in the fast flows (part 2) is rather limited in the persepectives of nematic interactions of oligomer-type solvent. For reference sample of associating telechelic polymers, the hydrophobically modified ethoxylated urethane (HEUR) is selected because of plenty of experimental data have been reported in the past. This information is collected into chapter 1 considering both morphology and dynamical aspects. HEUR is made up by poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) end-capped with short hydrophobic groups. Above the so-called critical micelle concentration, HEUR in aqueous solutions forms flower-like micelles where the core is composed of aggregated hydrophobic end-groups. Since the aggregation is physically reversible, chain ends can detach from the core, and attach to neighboring micelles (thus forming bridges). The probability of bridge formation increases with increasing HEUR concentration, and a transient network eventually builds up. The linear viscoelastic behavior of HEUR systems is somehow simple since they exhibit a single-mode Maxwell-like response with a dominant relaxation time (related to the association/dissociation dynamics), exhibiting a power-law dependence on HEUR concentration and molar mass. On the contrary, HEUR solutions exhibit a complex nonlinear rheological behavior. The Cox-Merz rule is often violated since the steady shear viscosity can reveal shear thickening while the dynamic viscosity only shows shear thinning. In the shear rate range of the viscosity thickening, the first normal stress coefficient remains at its LVE value. As regards the shear startup response at high shear rates, strain hardening is often observed both for the viscosity and for the first normal stress coefficient. Remarkably, the overshoot of stress growth function is well beyond linear viscoelastic envelope. Motivated by these experimental observations, new stochastic simulation is proposed where its coarse-graining level is the consequence of trade off between computation time (within few days for non-equilibrium simulation) and availability to capture detailed mechanism behind rheological observations, especially for number of elastically active chains. This newly developed stochastic simulation is based on Langevin dynamics coupled with an additional stochastic step for topological renewal. Parameters of the simulations are size of micelles and chains, stiffness of micelle structure, micelle aggregation number, length being related to micelle core, and time ratio between micelle diffusion time and loop-dissociation time. After detailing the algorithm in chapter 2, chapter 3 explores the effect of various parameters on static and dynamical observables. Selected samples are examined in chapter 4 both under equilibrium and non-equilibrium conditions. Results show scaling exponents consistent with experimental data, understanding strain hardening of shear startup in the way of finite extensibility of chains, confirm break-down of Cox-Merz rule due to persistence of bridges, and capture shear-thickening. Details of simulations are reported in the appendix together with the theoretical background and strategy of code development. In part 2, we examined entangled linear polymers in the extensional flows at flow rates higher than the reciprocal Rouse time. In the classical molecular models, the steady-state extensional viscosity is characterized by four regimes: (i) the linear regime with Trouton ratio equal to 3, (ii) viscosity thinning with exponent -1, (iii) upturn due to chain stretch, and (iv) approach to an asymptotic value due to finite extensibility. The advent of data from extensional rheology, however, reveals that the theoretical expectation is not strictly true, and the tendency depends on the details of chemistry. To be specific, polystyrene (PS) melt shows the spontaneous decrease even beyond the reciprocal Rouse time with an exponent of -1/2, while polyisoprene (PI) and poly(n-butyl acrylate) (PnBA) shows the upturn around reciprocal Rouse time. These differences are believed to be due to the sensitivity of the monomeric friction coefficient to alignment in the statistical segments of polymer chain when the flow rate is larger than reciprocal Rouse time. This is confirmed by measuring components for friction tensor and order parameter of oligomer-type molecular simulations in the simple shear where shear rate is higher than reciprocal self-diffusion time (chapter 6). In this context, we also analyze PS solutions in its oligomeric solvents, all having the same linear-viscoelasticity (chapter 7). The suggested model uses the frictional change due to the change of order parameter that accounts for the nematic interactions. The results quantitatively predict the experimental data from extensional flow.

碩士
國立臺灣大學
化學工程學研究所
91
The kinetics of conformational fluctuations of a telechelic chain with two binding sites at both ends is studied by Monte Carlo simulation. The site-to-site binding energy is -ε. An example of the telechelic biopolymer is RNA or ssDNA made of a homogeneous sequence such as poly(T) with complementary base at both ends. The conformations of such a chain fluctuate from loop (closed) to coil (open) state and the probability of the coil state depends on the temperature. An all-or-none transition between open and closed state is often adopted to depict the melting curves. It is found that the two-state model fails due to the existence of the intermediate state. A three-state model including open, intermediate, and closed state is proposed. The melting curves obtained from such a scenario agree quite well with the simulation results and there are two characteristic temperatures. The rate constants from closed to intermediate states and from intermediate to open states are independent of chain length but proportional to . In contrast, the rate constants from open to intermediate states is independent of temperature and that from intermediate to closed states is essentially constant. The effect of the stacking energy on the open-to-closed transition of the telechelic chain with one binding bead at each end is investigated. The melting curves obtained from simulations agree quite well to the two-state model. The melting temperature with stacking energy is lower than that without stacking energy. The rate constant from the closed state to the open state is independent of chain length but proportional to . On the contrary, the rate constant from the open state to the closed state is independent of the temperature but proportional to . From the simulations, the conformations of the loops are found to form specific shapes, including eye, triangle, quadrangle, and so on. Moreover, simulation results indicate that the loop-to-coil transition with larger stacking energy cannot be described with the two-state model.

The use of polymer brushes (long polymer chains anchored at their end to a surface or an interface) as a robust approach to control surface properties has generated significant interest in recent years. The stretched conformation of polymer brushes results in unique aggregation, phase, and dynamic behaviors, therefore, they have been used to stabilize colloidal particles and applied in numerous innovative biomedical applications: targeted magnetic hyperthermia, targeted drug delivery, and genotyping. The main goal of this thesis is to shed light on the key factors that affect the formation of these brushes in solution on solid surfaces. In Chapter 3, attenuated total reflectance infrared spectroscopy (ATR-IR) is used to directly measure the rates of the copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) reactions between alkyne-terminated polystyrene and poly(n-butyl acrylate) and azide-functional substrates in the good solvent DMF. Four regimes of behavior are observed: initially, the reaction rate is diffusion-controlled scaling with t^1/2; in the crossover regime at the onset of chain overlap, the rate scales with ln(t); the rate then accelerates briefly; and finally, in the terminal or penetration-limited regime, the logarithm of areal density scales linearly with time. Kinetic behavior in the diffusion-limited, crossover, and penetration-limited regimes corresponds well to the predictions of Ligoure and Leibler. The blob model suggests that the acceleration in rate is due to lateral chain contraction during the mushroom to brush transition. A theory is presented which predicts that the areal density at saturation should scale as Σsaturation ∼ MW^1.2 for good solvents, and experimentally we find MW^(−0.93±0.04) scaling. In Chapter 4, the effect of symmetry of the CuAAC reaction is investigated for the reaction of end-functional polystyrene and solid surfaces modified with self-assembled monolayers (SAMs). The polymer grafting density on azide-functional substrates is about two times higher than the polymer density on alkyne-functional surfaces. This asymmetry in the reaction density is caused by the difference in the mobility of the alkyne groups between the two systems. While the reaction stoichiometry requires one alkyne and one azide, the reaction mechanism involves two alkyne groups and one azide group in the formation of a stable triazole ring. When the alkyne groups are on the surfaces, their mobility is significantly reduced, preventing the formation of the triazole rings and consequently decreasing the amount of polymer grafted. Increasing the alkynes’ mobility by either extending the thickness of the alkyne monolayer or adding free 1-pentyne improves the polymer density on alkyne-functional silica substrates. The presence of free 1-pentyne also increases the polymer density on alkyne-functional wafers containing a preexisting polymer brush. This study shows that the placement of each functional group in the CuAAC reaction is important in surface modification applications. In Chapter 5, a universal model to quantify the amount of tails vs. loops during brush formation of telechelic polymers is proposed. This model involves the synthesis of telechelic polymers bearing a degradable unit in the middle of each chain via ATRP. Several reaction schemes are suggested for the synthesis of the required bi-functional ATRP initiators with degradable units. The amount of singly (tails) vs. doubly (loops) bound chains is quantified by comparing the brush heights, measured by ellipsometry, before and after degradation.

Non-covalent associations, including hydrophobic interaction or ionic interaction for self-association, and metal coordination or hydrogen-bonding for complementary-association, have been widely used as key interactions in supramolecules formation with telechelic associative polymers. And a specific application of long associative telechelic polymers has been developed by our group for the mist-control and drag-reduction of liquid fuels. During the research on this project, self- and pairwise-associative telechelic polymers are able to be compared for the first time, and are shown to display distinct associative patterns. In order to design materials with the desired properties, it is imperative to understand the relationships between polymer chemical structure and their topology and dynamics.

In this thesis, self-associative telechelic polymer refers to α,ω-di(isophthalic acid) polycyclooctadiene (DA-PCOD), which can associate with itself through its acid ends. When tertiary amine-ended polymer is added into the mixture, isophthalic acid preferably associates pairwisely with tertiary amine due to the higher binding strength of charge-assisted hydrogen bond. And the 1:1 molar ratio mixture of α,ω-di(isophthalic acid) and α,ω-di(di(tertiary amine)) PCOD (DA/DB-PCOD) is named as pairwise-associative telechelic polymers. DA-PCOD is capable of multimeric association via directional hydrogen bonding due to the specific chemical structure of the isophthalic acid end, while DA/DB-PCOD exhibits dynamics that strikingly resembles that for linear covalent polymers. Temperature determines the binding strength of self- and pairwise- end association, and furthermore, the fraction of unbound ends and the distribution and topology of formed supramolecules/aggregates. Polymer length affects the dynamics of DA-PCOD mainly through determining the concentration of the end groups. And the net effect of chain length on the dynamics of DA/DB-PCOD is non-monotonic and varies with the specific temperature and concentration. The knowledge of structure-property relationships obtained from this work will enable future design of end group entities and other properties of these associative telechelic polymers for their specific applications.

The synthesis of dipyridyl functionalized polysulfones with improved hydrophilicity, enhanced membrane morphology and excellent ATRP polymeric ligand properties was conducted by the following method: (a) the formation of lithiated polysulfone from unmodified polysulfone and the subsequent reaction with 2,2'-vinylidenedipyridine in tetrahydrofuran at -78 oC under argon atmosphere to afford the corresponding dipyridyl functionalized polysulfone. The stoichiometry of the reaction affects the degree of functionalization of the product. When equimolar amounts of 2,2'-vinylidenedipyridine are added to the lithiated polysulfone, the degree of functionalization obtained was 45%. However, the addition of 10% and 20% molar excess of 2,2'-vinylidenedipyridine to the corresponding lithiated polysulfone produced dipyridyl functionalized polysulfones with degrees of functionalization of 80% and 95%, respectively; and (b) the membranes obtained from unmodified polysulfone as well as dipyridyl functionalized polysulfones were characterized by atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, pure water permeation measurements and contact angle measurements. Amine chain end functionalized polystyrene and poly(methyl methacrylate) were prepared by Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization (ATRP) methods as follows: (a) •-Aminophenyl functionalized polystyrene was prepared in quantitative yields by ATRP methods using a new primary amine functionalized initiator adduct, formed in situ by the reaction of 1-(4-aminophenyl)-1-phenylethylene and (1-bromoethyl)benzene in the presence of copper (I) bromide/2,2'-bipyridyl as catalyst in diethyl ether at 110 oC, for the polymerization of styrene.(b) New •-bis(aminophenyl) and •,ω-tetrakis(aminophenyl) functionalized polymers were prepared in quantitative yields by the ATRP method using the following synthetic strategy: (i) the initiation of styrene polymerization with a new primary diamine functionalized initiator adduct, generated in situ by the reaction of stoichiometric amounts of 1,1-bis(4-aminophenyl)ethylene with (1-bromoethyl)benzene in the presence of copper (I) bromide/2,2'-bipyridyl as catalyst, afforded •-bis(aminophenyl) functionalized polystyrene; and (ii) •-bis(aminophenyl) functionalized poly(methyl methacrylate) was prepared by the ATRP method using the primary diamine functionalized initiator adduct as initiator for methyl methacrylate polymerization; and (iii) well defined •,ω-tetrakis(aminophenyl) functionalized polystyrene was prepared by the post ATRP chain end modification reaction of •-bis(aminophenyl) functionalized polystyrene with 1,1-bis(4-aminophenyl)-ethylene at the completion of the polymerization reaction. (c) Similarly, •-bis(4-dimethylaminophenyl) functionalized polystyrene was prepared by using a new tertiary diamine functionalized initiator adduct, formed in situ by treatment of equimolar amounts of 1,1-bis[(4-dimethylamino)phenyl]-ethylene with (1-bromoethyl)benzene in the presence of copper (I) bromide/2,2'-bipyridyl as the catalyst in diphenyl ether at 110 oC for the initiation of styrene polymerization by the ATRP method. Furthermore, the ATRP of methyl methacrylate, initiated by the new tertiary diamine functionalized initiator adduct, produced •-bis(4-dimethylaminophenyl) functionalized poly(methyl methacrylate). In addition, •,ω-tetrakis(4-dimethylaminophenyl) functionalized polystyrene was synthesized via a post ATRP chain end modification reaction of •-bis(4-dimethylaminophenyl) functionalized polystyrene with equimolar amounts of 1,1-bis[(4-dimethylamino)phenyl]ethylene at the completion of the polymerization process. vi Quantitative yields of the different amine functionalized polymers with predictable number average molecular weights (Mn = 1.3 x 103 – 16.4 x103 g/mol), narrow molecular weight distributions (Mw/Mn = 1.03 – 1.29) and controlled chain end functionality were obtained. Polymerization kinetics data was employed to determine the controlled/living character of each ATRP reaction leading to the formation of the different amine chain end functionalized polymers. The polymerization processes were monitored by gas chromatographic analyses. Polymerization kinetics measurements for all reactions show that the polymerizations follow first order rate kinetics with respect to monomer consumption. The number average molecular weight of the amine functionalized polymers increases linearly with percentage monomer conversion and polymers with narrow molecular weight distribution were obtained. The ATRP of styrene, catalyzed by a novel dipyridyl functionalized polysulfone/CuBr supported catalyst system, afforded well defined polystyrene with predictable number average molecular weight and narrow molecular weight distribution in a controlled/living free radical polymerization process. The substituted 1,1-diphenylethylene initiator precursor derivatives and the functionalized polymers were characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thin layer chromatography, column chromatography, size exclusion chromatography, non-aqueous titrations, differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetrical analysis.
Chemistry
M. Sc. (Chemistry)

Cette thèse concerne l’étude de phase de séparation de deux polymères thermosensibles connus-poly(N-isopropylacylamide) (PNIPAM) et poly(2-isopropyl-2-oxazoline) (PIPOZ). Parmi des études variées sur ces deux polymères, il y a encore deux parties de leurs propriétés thermiques inexplicites à être étudiées. Une partie concerne l’effet de consolvant de PNIPAM dans l’eau et un autre solvant hydromiscible. L’autre est l’effet de propriétés de groupes terminaux de chaînes sur la séparation de phase de PIPOZ. Pour ce faire, nous avons d’abord étudié l’effet de l’architecture de chaînes sur l’effet de cosolvant de PNIPAMs dans le mélange de méthanol/eau en utilisant un PNIPAM en étoile avec 4 branches et un PNIPAM cyclique comme modèles. Avec PNIPAM en étoile, l’adhérence de branches PNIPAM de à un cœur hydrophobique provoque une réduction de Tc (la température du point de turbidité) et une enthalpie plus faible de la transition de phase. En revanche, la Tc de PNIPAM en étoile dépend de la masse molaire de polymère. La coopérativité de déhydratation diminue pour PNIPAM en étoile et PNIPAM cyclique à cause de la limite topologique. Une étude sur l’influence de concentration en polymère sur l’effet de cosolvant de PNIPAM dans le mélange méthanol/eau a montré qu’une séparation de phase liquide-liquide macroscopique (MLLPS) a lieu pour une solution de PNIPAM dans le mélange méthanol/eau avec la fraction molaire de méthanol entre 0.127 et 0.421 et la concentration en PNIPAM est constante à 10 g.L-1. Après deux jours d’équilibration à température ambiante, la suspension turbide de PNIPAM dans le mélange méthanol/eau se sépare en deux phases dont une phase possède beaucoup plus de PNIPAM que l’autre. Un diagramme de phase qui montre la MLLPS pour le mélange PNIPAM/eau/méthanol a été établi à base de données expérimentales. La taille et la morphologie de gouttelettes dans la phase riche en polymère condensée dépendent de la fraction molaire de méthanol. Parce que la présence de méthanol influence la tension de surface des gouttelettes liquides, un équilibre lent de la séparation de phase pour PNIPAM/eau/méthanol système a été accéléré et une séparation de phase liquide-liquide macroscopique apparait. Afin d’étudier l’effet de groupes terminaux sur les propriétés de solution de PIPOZ, deux PIPOZs téléchéliques avec groupe perfluorodécanyle (FPIPOZ) ou groupe octadécyle (C18PIPOZ) comme extrémités de chaîne ont été synthétisés. Les valeurs de Tc des polymères téléchéliques ont beaucoup diminué par rapport à celle de PIPOZ. Des micelles stables se forment dans des solutions aqueuses de polymères téléchéliques. La micellization et la séparation de phase de ces polymères dans l’eau ont été étudiées. La séparation de phase de PIPOZs téléchéliques suit le mécanisme de MLLPS. Des différences en tailles de gouttelettes formées à l’intérieur de solutions de deux polymères ont été observées. Pour étudier profondément les différences dans le comportement d’association entre deux polymères téléchéliques, les intensités des signaux de polymères correspondants et les temps de relaxation T1, T2 ont été mesurés. Des valeurs de T2 de protons correspondants aux IPOZs sont plus hautes.
This thesis focused on the phase separation of two well-known thermoresponsive polymers, namely PNIPAM (poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)) and PIPOZ (poly(2-isopropyl-2-oxazoline). Despite various studies of the two polymers, two aspects of their thermal properties remained unclear and needed to be investigated. One is the cononsolvency effect of PNIPAM in water and a second water miscible solvent. The other is the effect of the end group properties on the phase separation of PIPOZ. With this in mind, we first studied the effect of the chain architecture on the cononsolvency of PNIPAM in water/methanol mixture, employing a 4-arm star shape PNIPAM and a cyclic PNIPAM as model. Tethering PNIPAM arms to a hydrophobic core resulted in a reduced Tc (cloud point temperature) and a lower phase transition enthalpy change. The Tc of the star shape PNIPAM was inversely dependent on the polymer molecular weight. The dehydration cooperativity was depressed for the star PNIPAM and cyclic PNIPAM due to topological constraints. A study of the effect of polymer concentration on the cononsolvency of PNIPAM in water/methanol mixture revealed a macroscopic liquid-liquid phase separation (MLLPS) for PNIPAM in water/methanol mixtures of methanol molar fraction ranging from 0.127 to 0.421 at a polymer concentration of 10 g·L-1. The turbid suspension of PNIPAM/water/methanol separated into a polymer rich phase coexisting with a polymer poor solution phase after equilibration for two days at room temperature. The phase diagram showing the MLLPS for the PNIPAM/water/methanol mixtures was constructed based on experimental data. The droplets in the condensed polymer rich phase showed a dependence on the methanol molar fraction. Methanol affects the surface tension of the liquid droplets. The slow equilibrium kinetics of PNIPAM phase separation was sped up and a macroscopic liquid-liquid phase separation realized. In order to study the effect of end groups on the solution properties of PIPOZ, two telechelic PIPOZ end capped with perfluorodecanyl groups (FPIPOZ) and octadecyl groups (C18PIPOZ), respectively, were synthesized. The Tc values of the telechelic polymers were greatly reduced after end-functionalization. Stable micelles formed in aqueous solutions of the telechelic polymers. The micellization and phase separation of the telechelic polymers in water were studied. The phase separation of the telechelic PIPOZs in water followed a liquid-liquid phase separation mechanism. Differences in the sizes of droplets formed inside of the two polymer solutions were observed. To further investigate the differences in the association behaviour between the two telechelic polymer, NMR signal intensities and T1 and T2 relaxation times were examined. Higher 1H T2 values were obtained for the IPOZ unit in FPIPOZ than that in C18PIPOZ, indicating a higher mobility of the main chain in the FPIPOZ micelles than that in the C18PIPOZ micelles. Together with the 13C NMR and 19F NMR relaxation studies, we obtained better knowledge of the association properties of the telechelic PIPOZ in water. NMR relaxation studies proved to be efficient way of probing the solution behaviour of the polymers.

Block copolymers can self-assemble into a variety of periodic nanostructures and therefore, are promising candidates for a diverse range of applications. While self-assembly of block copolymers has been widely studied and exploited, graft copolymers have remained far less explored in this context. One of the primary reasons for this is that the most commonly used methods to prepare graft copolymers leads to polymers that do not have precisely defined structures; specifically, controlling the precise location of the grafted segments is a synthetically difficult challenge. In typical chain polymerization processes, statistically random incorporation of monomers takes place and consequently, the periodicity of the grafted segment along the backbone is very difficult to control precisely; therefore, such methods cannot be utilized to prepare periodically grafted copolymers. Some recent efforts towards the preparation of sequence regulated copolymers using controlled radical polymerization in conjunction with periodic dosing of a commoner could provide an alternative to better regulate the periodicity, although this will also not be perfectly periodic. The only approach to control the periodicity perfectly is to utilize condensation polymerization approaches, wherein one of the monomers serve as a spacer whereas the other provides the opportunity to install the graft segment, as depicted in Scheme 1. One of the earliest examples of the utilization of a condensation approach to locate desired units at periodic intervals was reported by Wagener and co-workers using Acrylic Diene Metathesis (ADMET) process.1 ]n periodicity ]n graft segment Scheme 1. Synthetic scheme for the preparation of periodically grafted copolymers using condensation polymerization. From our lab, Roy et al. developed periodically grafted amphiphilic copolymers (PGAC), based on a readily available starting material, diethyl malonate;2 melt trans-esterification between diethyl malonate, containing a pendant hexaethylene glycol monomethyl ether (HEG) segment and 1,22-docosane diol resulted in PGAC wherein the hydrophilic oligo ethylene glycol units were placed on every 27th atom along the backbone (Scheme 2). Such PGAC underwent self-segregation and adopted a folded zigzag conformation, which was driven by the intrinsic immiscibility of the alkylene and HEG segments and was reinforced by the strong tendency for long chain alkylene segments to crystallize in a paraffinic lattice. However, one of the drawbacks of the above approach was that the hydrophilic pendant unit was installed at the monomer stage and consequently, the synthetic approach does not allow easy variation of the hydrophilic grafted segment; this limits the flexibility and any structural variation of the pendant segment would be synthetically tedious. 150 oC DBTDL 5 20 DBTDL = Dibutyltin dilaurate Scheme 2. Synthesis of PGAC, based on diethyl malonate, and immiscibility-driven folding of such PGACs. Mandal et al. developed a more general strategy for the synthesis of such periodically grafted systems; they prepared periodically clickable polyesters carrying propargyl groups at regular intervals, by the solution polycondensation of 2-propargyl-1,3-propanediol or 2,2-dipropargyl-1,3-propanediol and the acid chloride of 1,20-eicosanedioic acid. Such periodically clickable polyesters were shown to react quantitatively with a fluoroalkyl azide3 and PEG 350 azide4, thus allowing them to place different kinds of functionalities precisely along the backbone, as shown in Scheme 3. The immiscibility of the alkylene and fluoroalkyl/PEG segments caused the polymer chains to fold in a zigzag fashion, thereby facilitating the segregation of these segments, as observed earlier in the study by Roy et al.2 The objective of this study was to place various desired functionalities along the polymer backbone and examine their effect on the self-assembly behaviour and morphology of such periodically clicked systems. Scheme 3. Synthetic scheme for the generation of periodically clickable polyesters and their subsequent functionalization via Cu-catalysed click chemistry. In Chapter 2, we describe an alternative general strategy for the scalable synthesis of periodically graftable polyesters and their subsequent functionalization to generate a wide variety of periodically grafted systems. The importance of our approach lies in our choice of the monomer, which is based on itaconic acid, an inexpensive and bio-sourced molecule. We demonstrated that dibutyl itaconate can be melt-condensed with aliphatic diols to generate unsaturated polyesters (Scheme 4); importantly, we showed that the double bonds in the itaconate moiety remain unaffected during the melt polymerization. A particularly useful attribute of these polyesters is that the exo-chain double bonds are conjugated to the ester carbonyl and therefore, can serve as excellent Michael acceptors. A variety of organic thiols, such as alkane thiols, MPEG thiol, thioglycerol, derivative cysteine etc., were shown to quantitatively Michael-add to the exo-chain double bonds and generate interesting functionalized polyesters; similarly, organic amines, such as N-methylbenzylamine, diallyl amine and proline also underwent Michael addition across the double bond (Scheme 4). Thus, such poly(alkylene itaconate)s could be utilized to place diverse functionalities at regular intervals along the polymer backbone. Scheme 4. Preparation of periodically graftable polyesters, based on itaconic acid, and their subsequent modification by Michael addition. In Chapter 3, we examined a series of periodically grafted polyesters carrying long crystallizable alkylene (C-20) segments along the backbone and pendant polyethylene glycol monomethyl ether (MPEG) segments grafted at periodic intervals. Such periodically grafted amphiphilic copolymers (PGAC) having MPEG graft segments of varying lengths were prepared by utilizing the activated exo-chain double bonds in poly(icosyl itaconate) (PII) that carries a 20-carbon alkylene segment; MPEG thiols of varying lengths (TREG, 350, 550 and 750) were quantitatively grafted under standard Michael addition conditions to yield the required graft copolymers, as shown in Scheme 5. Scheme 5. Synthesis of a series of periodically grafted amphiphilic copolymers (PGAC) utilizing post-polymerization modification via Michael addition with MPEG thiols of varying lengths. The immiscibility of the backbone alkylene and pendant MPEG segments, and the strong propensity of the alkylene segments to crystallize in a paraffinic lattice, drive these systems to fold in a zigzag fashion and subsequently organize into a lamellar morphology, as shown in Scheme 6. Interestingly, all the graft copolymers exhibited a clear and invariant melting transition at ~44°C that suggested the crystallization of the backbone C-20 segment; the MPEG segments were, however, amorphous except in the case of polymers carrying MPEG 550/MPEG-750 segments, wherein a second melting transition corresponding to the independent crystallization of the PEG segment was also seen. SAXS studies indicated that all of the samples exhibited lamellar morphologies wherein more importantly, the inter-lamellar spacing was seen to increase linearly with the MPEG length (Scheme 6). This study provides a new design for controlling the dimensions of the microphase-separated nanostructures at significantly smaller length scales (sub-10 nm) than is typically possible using block copolymers. Scheme 6. Schematic representation of formation of lamellar morphology in PGACs and control of interlamellar spacing in such systems. In order to understand the influence of having a mixture of MPEG lengths on the self-assembled morphology, in Chapter 4 we prepared a series of PGACs by co-grafting the parent poly(icosyl itaconate) with a mixture of two different MPEG thiols, namely MPEG-350 and MPEG-750; the mole-ratios of these two PEGs were varied to generate co-grafted PGACs, carrying different amounts of the two MPEG segments randomly distributed along the chain (Scheme 7). Parallely, we also examined the behaviour of physical mixtures of two different PGACs, one bearing MPEG-350 and the other MPEG-750 grafts; keeping the total MPEG content constant, we sought to examine the differences in the behaviour of randomly co-grafted polymers and physical mixtures. Scheme 7. Preparation of co-grafted PGACs and physical mixtures of two different PGACs. The co-grafted PGACs also exhibited a lamellar morphology; interestingly, the inter- lamellar spacing increased linearly with the total volume of PEG domain. This suggested that despite the presence of MPEG segments of two different lengths in the co-grafted samples, there occurred a reorganization of the PEG chains within the amorphous domain ensuring that the condition of incompressibility is not violated, thereby giving rise to a weighted average interlamellar spacing, as shown in Scheme 8. In contrast, the SAXS patterns of the physical mixtures revealed the presence of two distinct lamellar domains in the sample; this indicated that the two homo-grafted samples do not mix and form separate lamellar domains. The self- segregation induced folding and subsequent crystallization of the central alkylene segments clearly appeared to dominate the final morphology. Scheme 8. Schematic depiction of the possible scenarios that could arise when MPEG segments of two different lengths, namely MPEG350 and MPEG750, are present in the PGACs; top panel depicts the co-grafted PGACs, whereas the bottom panel shows the case of mixtures of PGACs with two different MPEG lengths. In Chapter 5, we have dealt with the design and synthesis of chain-end functionalizable polyalkylene itaconates. Changing the monomer from dibutyl itaconate to dipropargyl itaconate and using it in controlled excess allowed us to generate chain-end functionalizable polymers containing propargyl groups at the chain ends, in addition to the exo-chain double bonds along the backbone, thereby providing the opportunity for orthogonal functionalization. In order to obtain three different telechelic polymers with target DPs (degree of polymerization) of 5, 10 and 20 respectively, 3 different mole ratios of the two monomers (dipropargyl itaconate and 1,20-eicosanediol) were used (Scheme 9). Scheme 9. Synthetic scheme for the generation of chain-end functionalizable polyalkylene itaconates. Orthogonal functionalization of the resultant polymers was carried out using thiol-Michael addition and Cu(I)-catalysed alkyne-azide cycloaddition (AAC), without interference between the functional handles present along the polymer backbone and the chain-end, respectively. Michael addition with triethylene glycol thiol and subsequent Cu-catalysed click reaction with MPEG 750 azide led to the generation of ABA type triblock copolymers where the middle block is a periodically grafted amphiphilic block and the two linear end blocks are hydrophilic in nature. Furthermore, such propargyl-terminated polyalkylene itaconates were used as macromonomers to prepare multiblock copolymers. The telechelic polymers were first treated with PEG 600 diazide, resulting in the formation of alternating multiblock copolymers; these multiblock copolymers were further reacted with thioglycerol to generate amphiphilic multiblock copolymers where one of the blocks is a periodically functionalized amphiphilc block, as depicted in Scheme 10. In both these amphiphilic block copolymer systems, a key feature is that the periodically functionalized amphiphilic block folds into a zigzag form, as evident from the presence of a nearly invariant melting peak corresponding to the crystallization of the alkylene segment. Scheme 10. Preparation of multiblock copolymers utilizing propargyl-terminated polyalkylene itaconates as a macromonomer. In summary, the thesis has demonstrated the design and synthesis of a series of novel amphiphilic copolymers using a bio-sourced monomer, wherein the driving theme is the immiscibility driven self-segregation that leads to the folding of the chain; these have been thoroughly examined using DSC, SAXS, WAXS, variable temperature FT-IR and AFM measurements. References (1) Berda, E. B.; Lande, R. E.; Wagener, K. B. Macromolecules 2007, 40, 8547. (2) Roy, R. K.; Gowd, E. B.; Ramakrishnan, S. Macromolecules 2012, 45, 3063. (3) Mandal, J.; Krishna Prasad, S.; Rao, D. S. S.; Ramakrishnan, S. Journal of the American Chemical Society 2014, 136, 2538. (4) Mandal, J.; Ramakrishnan, S. Langmuir 2015, 31, 6035.

Copolymers are used to increase the interfacial strength of immiscible components and suppress recombination of the minor phase by steric hindrance. The experiments conducted in these studies are designed to investigate in situ polymer loop formation at soft interfaces and functionalized nanotube surfaces. Block copolymers are the most effective type of copolymer for compatibilization because they extend perpendicular to the interface, allowing good entanglement with the homopolymer chains. Multiblock copolymers are more effective than diblock copolymers for strengthening the interface because they can cross the interface multiple times, forming “loops” in each phase that provide entanglement points for the homopolymer. The first part of this dissertation focuses on understanding how telechelic variables influence their effectiveness to compatibilize an immiscible polystyrene (PS)/polyisoprene (PI) homopolymer blend. A fast reacting anhydride and amine telechelic pair (Anh-PS-Anh/NH2-PI-NH2) are compared with a slower reacting epoxy and carboxylic acid pair (Epoxy-PS-Epoxy/COOH-PI-COOH). Different molecular weight pairs are used to investigate the influence of end group concentrations and steric effects. We also investigate how the loading level affects the conversion of one telechelic pair. The PI telechelic has a fluorescent tag, which enables gel permeation chromatography (GPC) with fluorescence detection to be used for determining the amount of tagged PI converted and the molecular weight of the copolymer formed in situ as a function of mixing time. The effectiveness of these telechelic pairs as compatibilizers is quantified by annealing the samples and using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to measure the domain size of the minor phase as a function of annealing time. The second part of this study investigates the grafting of polymer loops to carboxylated multiwall nanotube (COOH-MWNT) surfaces and determining the reaction rate. These polymer loops will improve the nanotube dispersion by steric hindrance and improve energy transfer by creation of polymer chain entanglements. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) is used as a novel technique to measure the quantity of Epoxy-PS-Epoxy grafted to the nanotube surface. In addition, we determined the fraction of telechelics that form loops by further reacting the grafted nanotubes with monocarboxy terminated poly(4-methylstryrene) (COOH-P4MS), which only reacts with unbound Epoxy-PS-Epoxy chain ends.