Characterization and Properties of Block Copolymers

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Analysis and Characterization".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 September 2023) | Viewed by 1676

Special Issue Editor

Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
Interests: olefin polymerization; functionalized polyolefins; synthesis and self-assembly of block copolymers; uniform nanomaterials and their applications, etc.

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Block copolymers (BCPs) have been widely employed for preparing nanomaterials in bulk or in selective solvents. Generally, for the synthesis of block copolymers, people can use living/controlled polymerization methodologies by adding different monomers sequentially, or employ some coupling reactions to link two or more polymer chains. Given the molecular weights (MWs), molecular weight distributions (MWDs) and block ratios, researchers have been contributing to the probing for more synthesis protocols and purification methods to obtain the desired BCPs. Gel permeation chromatography (GPC), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and other instruments are effective characterization methods in the preparation of BCPs. Researchers have discovered many new approaches to develop pure BCPs, such as redissolution–precipitation, chromatography, etc. Therefore, it is scientifically necessary for them to report their work in a timely manner, allowing their colleagues to learn about the progress and promoting the development of block copolymers and their self-assembly into nanomaterials.

As a powerful bottom-up technique to access nanomaterials, BCP self-assembly is a very promising approach to produce materials with various morphologies. It is an important property of BCPs. Phase separation in bulk and solvent effects/amphiphilic interactions in selective solvents drive the formation of ordered or regular structures. Especially, polymerization-induced self-assembly (PISA) and crystallization-driven self-assembly (CDSA), as well as other interesting self-assembly protocols, have attracted growing interest in polymer chemistry and materials. For instance, solid electrolytes using BCPs also are intriguing materials for manufacturing batteries. Furthermore, BCPs show other properties and performance aspects that can be applied in chemistry and materials.

The current Special Issue will focus on, but is not limited to, the synthesis, characterization, phase behavior, assembly and other properties of BCPs. Research articles, as well as reviews, are welcome in this Special Issue.

Prof. Dr. Shaofei Song
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • block copolymers
  • synthesis and characterization of block copolymers
  • purification techniques to access block copolymers
  • phase separation behavior of block copolymers in bulk
  • block copolymer self-assembly
  • polymerization-induced self-assembly (PISA) and crystallization-driven self-assembly (CDSA)
  • block copolymer micelles
  • block copolymer electrolytes
  • lithography by block copolymers
  • nanomaterials by block copolymers
  • applications of BCP nanostructures

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

24 pages, 5000 KiB  
Article
Structural Behavior of Amphiphilic Triblock Copolymer P104/Water System
by Edgar Benjamín Figueroa-Ochoa, Lourdes Mónica Bravo-Anaya, Ricardo Vaca-López, Gabriel Landázuri-Gómez, Luis Carlos Rosales-Rivera, Tania Diaz-Vidal, Francisco Carvajal, Emma Rebeca Macías-Balleza, Yahya Rharbi and J. Félix Armando Soltero-Martínez
Polymers 2023, 15(11), 2551; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15112551 - 31 May 2023
Viewed by 1405
Abstract
A detailed study of the different structural transitions of the triblock copolymer PEO27–PPO61–PEO27 (P104) in water, in the dilute and semi-dilute regions, is addressed here as a function of temperature and P104 concentration (CP104) by mean [...] Read more.
A detailed study of the different structural transitions of the triblock copolymer PEO27–PPO61–PEO27 (P104) in water, in the dilute and semi-dilute regions, is addressed here as a function of temperature and P104 concentration (CP104) by mean of complimentary methods: viscosimetry, densimetry, dynamic light scattering, turbidimetry, polarized microscopy, and rheometry. The hydration profile was calculated through density and sound velocity measurements. It was possible to identify the regions where monomers exist, spherical micelle formation, elongated cylindrical micelles formation, clouding points, and liquid crystalline behavior. We report a partial phase diagram including information for P104 concentrations from 1 × 10−4 to 90 wt.% and temperatures from 20 to 75 °C that will be helpful for further interaction studies with hydrophobic molecules or active principles for drug delivery. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Characterization and Properties of Block Copolymers)
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