Enzyme-assisted Photoinitiated Polymerization-induced Self-assembly in Continuous Flow Reactors with Oxygen Tolerance

Abstract

Polymerization-induced self-assembly (PISA) is an emerging method for the preparation of block copolymer nano-objects at high concentrations. However, most PISA formulations have oxygen inhibition problems and inert atmospheres (e.g. argon, nitrogen) are usually required. Moreover, the large-scale preparation of block copolymer nano-objects at room temperature is challenging. Herein, we report an enzyme-assisted photoinitiated polymerization-induced self-assembly (photo-PISA) in continuous flow reactors with oxygen tolerance. The addition of glucose oxidase (GOx) and glucose into the reaction mixture can consume oxygen efficiently and constantly, allow the flow photo-PISA to be performed under open-air conditions. Polymerization kinetics indicated that only a small amount of GOx (0.5 μmol/L) was needed to achieve the oxygen tolerance. Block copolymer nano-objects with different morphologies can be prepared by varying reaction conditions including the degree of polymerization (DP) of core-forming block, monomer concentration, reaction temperature, and solvent composition. We expect this study will provide a facile platform for the large-scale production of block copolymer nano-objects with different morphologies at room temperature.