A superparamagnetic metallopolymer using tailor-made poly [2-(acetoacetoxy)ethyl methacrylate] bearing pendant beta-keto ester functionality

Poly [2-(acetoacetoxy)ethyl methacrylate] (PAEMA), a functional polymer bearing pendant beta-keto ester group was prepared via atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). The polymers were characterized by H-1 NMR, GPC and DSC analyses. H-1 NMR analysis showed that beta-keto ester group present in the side chain of the PAEMA was more in the keto form as compared to the enol form. The reactive pendant beta-keto ester group of PAEMA reacted with cobalt(II) ion to form metallopolymer which was characterized by FT-IR, UV-vis, TGA, DSC, FESEM and TEM analyses. This cobalt-polymer complex showed the formation of nanogel, as observed by DLS analysis. Importantly, this cobalt-polymer complex showed superparamagnetic behavior, as observed via superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) analysis, indicating its potential application in magnetic fluid hyperthermia treatment and radiotherapy.