Abstract
Partially degradable, nonionic AB and ABA type di- and triblock copolymers based on poly(propylene carbonate) and poly(ethylene glycol) blocks were synthesized via immortal copolymerization of carbon dioxide and propylene oxide, using mPEG or PEG as a macroinitiator, and (R,R)-(salcy)-CoOBzF5 as a catalyst in a solvent-free one-pot procedure. The amphiphilic surfactants were prepared with molecular weights (Mn) between 2800 and 10,000 g·mol−1 with narrow molecular weight distributions (1.03–1.09). The copolymers were characterized using 1H-, 13C- and DOSY-NMR spectroscopy and size exclusion chromatography (SEC). Surface-active properties were determined by surface tension measurements (critical micelle concentration, CMC; CMC range: 1–14 mg·mL−1). Degradation of the acid-labile polycarbonate blocks was investigated in aqueous solution using online 1H-NMR spectroscopy and SEC. The amphiphilic polymers were used as surfactants in a direct miniemulsion polymerization for poly(styrene) (PS) nanoparticles with mean diameter of 270 to 940 nm. The usage of an acid-triggered precipitation of the emulsion simplified the separation of the particles from the surfactant and purification of the nanoparticles.
Highlights
Surfactants are used for a broad scope of applications
Amphiphilic di- and triblock copolymers were prepared by immortal polymerization of Amphiphilic and triblock copolymers were prepared by immortal of poly(ethylene glycol)dimonomethyl ether and poly(ethylene glycol)
Novel degradable AB and ABA polycarbonate-polyether block copolymers based on hydrophilic polyethers and hydrophobic aliphatic polycarbonates were synthesized by catalytic polymerization
Summary
Surfactants are used for a broad scope of applications They are employed in the textile, paint, and oil industry, in cleaning agents and cosmetics, for microelectronics and optics, and further possible applications are found in biomedicine, pharmaceutical products and nanoscience [1,2,3,4]. Another important field of application of surfactants is emulsion polymerization, which plays a key role in many industrial areas. They can be synthesized via direct copolymerization of epoxides and carbon dioxide
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