Journal
MACROMOLECULES
Volume 53, Issue 13, Pages 5105-5115Publisher
AMER CHEMICAL SOC
DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.0c00487
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Funding
- National Natural Science Foundation of China [21905166]
- China Postdoctoral Science Foundation [2019M653859XB]
- Natural Science Basic Research Program of Shaanxi [2020JQ-406]
- Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities [GK202003023]
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
- Osaka University (Japan) International Joint Research Promotion Program
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High-sensitivity differential scanning calorimetry (HS-DSC) thermograms of aqueous poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) solutions present a sharp unimodal endotherm that signals the heat-induced dehydration/collapse of the PNIPAM chain. Similarly, alpha,omega-di-n-octadecyl-PNIPAM (C18-PN-C18) aqueous solutions exhibit a unimodal endotherm. In contrast, aqueous solutions of alpha,omega-hydrophobically modified PNIPAMs with polycyclic terminal groups, such as pyrenylbutyl (Py-PN-Py), adamantylethyl (Ad-PN-Ad), and azopyridine- (C12-PN-AzPy) moieties, exhibit bimodal thermograms. The origin of the two transitions was probed using microcalorimetry measurements, turbidity tests, variable temperature H-1 NMR (VT-NMR) spectroscopy, and 2-dimensional NOESY experiments with solutions of polymers of molar mass (M-n) from 5 to 20 kDa and polymer concentrations of 0.1 to 3.0 mg/mL. The analysis outcome led us to conclude that the difference of the thermograms reflects the distinct self-assembly structures of the polymers. C18-PN-C18 assembles in water in the form of flower micelles held together by a core of tightly packed n-C18 chains. In contrast, polymers end-tagged with azopyridine, pyrenylbutyl, or adamantylethyl form a loose core that allows chain ends to escape from the micelles, to reinsert in them, or to dangle in surrounding water. The predominant low temperature (T-1) endotherm, which is insensitive to polymer concentration, corresponds to the dehydration/collapse of PNIPAM chains within the micelles, while the higher temperature (T-2) endotherm is attributed to the dehydration of dangling chains and intermicellar bridges. This study of the two phase transitions of telechelic PNIPAM homopolymer highlights the rich variety of morphologies attainable via responsive hydrophobically modified aqueous polymers and may open the way to a variety of practical applications.
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