Intra- and Inter-Supramolecular Complexation of Poly(Butyl Methacrylate)-Co-2-(1,2,3-Triazol-4-Yl) Pyridine Copolymers Induced by CoII, FeII, and EuIII Ions Monitored by Molecular Hydrodynamics Methods

Poly(butyl methacrylate) copolymers embedding bidentate 2-(1,2,3-triazol-4-yl) pyridine (trzpy) chelating units as comonomer in the side chains were synthesized by controlled radical addition-fragmentation transfer (RAFT) polymerization. Intracomplexation and intercomplexation of the macromolecules of the poly(butyl methacrylate) copolymers containing 20 % mol of trzpy units induced by Co-II, Fe-II, and Eu-III ions were studied in the solutions by macromolecular hydrodynamics methods. The sedimentation velocity of extremely diluted copolymer solutions and the dynamic viscosity of moderately diluted solutions were studied in a wide range of the salts concentrations. Differences were observed with respect to the copolymer behavior in the presence of the Co2+, Fe2+, Eu3+ ions. These differences are namely due to the differences in the number of coordination bonds required for complex formation and not explicitly to the nature of the corresponding anions. (C) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.