Novel Copolymers: Preparation, Characterization, and Applications

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 October 2024 | Viewed by 1935

Special Issue Editors

Department of Materials and Optoelectronic Science, Center of Crystal Research, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung 804, Taiwan
Interests: diblock copolymers; polybenzoxazine; aggregation-induced emissions; mesoporous polymers; conjugated microporous polymers; polypeptide; POSS nanoparticles
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Department of Materials and Optoelectronic Science, Center of Crystal Research, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung 804, Taiwan
Interests: polybenzoxazine; aggregation-induced emissions; mesoporous polymers; conjugated microporous polymers; polypeptides; POSS nanoparticles
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

A copolymer is a polymer that is made up of two or more different monomer units. These monomer units are typically joined together through a process called copolymerization, which involves the simultaneous polymerization of two or more different monomers. Copolymers can have a variety of different properties, which depend primarily on the specific monomers that are used in their production. For example, copolymers made from hydrophilic and hydrophobic monomers can be used to create materials with both water-repellent and water-absorbing properties. Additionally, copolymers can be designed to have specific mechanical, thermal, or electrical properties, depending on the intended application. Some examples of copolymers include diblock, triblock, and fluorescent copolymers and conducting polymers.

Prof. Dr. Shiao-Wei Kuo
Dr. Mohamed Gamal Mohamed
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • copolymer
  • diblock copolymer
  • triblock copolymer
  • fluorescent copolymer and conducting polymer
  • novel preparation methods
  • self-assembly
  • mesoporous polymers
  • carbon materials derived from copolymers precursors
  • energy storage
  • dye adsorption
  • photonic crystal

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 9026 KiB  
Article
Synthesis and Thermo-Responsive Behavior of Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-b-Poly(N-vinylisobutyramide) Diblock Copolymer
by Jun Hyok Yoon, Taehyoung Kim, Myungeun Seo and Sang Youl Kim
Polymers 2024, 16(6), 830; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16060830 - 18 Mar 2024
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Abstract
Thermo-responsive diblock copolymer, poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-block-poly(N-vinylisobutyramide) was synthesized via switchable reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization and its thermal transition behavior was studied. Poly(N-vinylisobutyramide) (PNVIBA), a structural isomer of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) shows a thermo-response character [...] Read more.
Thermo-responsive diblock copolymer, poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-block-poly(N-vinylisobutyramide) was synthesized via switchable reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization and its thermal transition behavior was studied. Poly(N-vinylisobutyramide) (PNVIBA), a structural isomer of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) shows a thermo-response character but with a higher lower critical solution temperature (LCST) than PNIPAM. The chain extension of the PNVIBA block from the PNIPAM block proceeded in a controlled manner with a switchable chain transfer reagent, methyl 2-[methyl(4-pyridinyl)carbamothioylthio]propionate. In an aqueous solution, the diblock copolymer shows a thermo-responsive behavior but with a single LCST close to the LCST of PNVIBA, indicating that the interaction between the PNIPAM segment and the PNVIBA segment leads to cooperative aggregation during the self-assembly induced phase separation of the diblock copolymer in solution. Above the LCST of the PNIPAM block, the polymer chains begin to collapse, forming small aggregates, but further aggregation stumbled due to the PNVIBA segment of the diblock copolymer. However, as the temperature approached the LCST of the PNVIBA block, larger aggregates composed of clusters of small aggregates formed, resulting in an opaque solution. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Copolymers: Preparation, Characterization, and Applications)
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14 pages, 902 KiB  
Article
Effect of the Interplay between Polymer–Filler and Filler–Filler Interactions on the Conductivity of a Filled Diblock Copolymer System
by A. I. Chervanyov
Polymers 2024, 16(1), 104; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16010104 - 29 Dec 2023
Viewed by 514
Abstract
We investigate the relative roles of the involved interactions and micro-phase morphology in the formation of the conductive filler network in an insulating diblock copolymer (DBC) system. By incorporating the filler immersion energy obtained by means of the phase-field model of the DBC [...] Read more.
We investigate the relative roles of the involved interactions and micro-phase morphology in the formation of the conductive filler network in an insulating diblock copolymer (DBC) system. By incorporating the filler immersion energy obtained by means of the phase-field model of the DBC into the Monte Carlo simulation of the filler system, we determined the equilibrium distribution of fillers in the DBC that assumes the lamellar or cylindrical (hexagonal) morphology. Furthermore, we used the resistor network model to calculate the conductivity of the simulated filler system. The obtained results essentially depend on the complicated interplay of the following three factors: (i) Geometry of the DBC micro-phase, in which fillers are preferentially localized; (ii) difference between the affinities of fillers for dissimilar copolymer blocks; (iii) interaction between fillers. The localization of fillers in the cylindrical DBC micro-phase has been found to most effectively promote the conductivity of the composite. The effect of the repulsive and attractive interactions between fillers on the conductivity of the filled DBC has been studied in detail. It is quantitatively demonstrated that this effect has different significance in the cases when the fillers are preferentially localized in the majority and minority micro-phases of the cylindrical DBC morphology. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Copolymers: Preparation, Characterization, and Applications)
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17 pages, 5217 KiB  
Article
Effects of Graphene Oxide (GO) and Reduced Graphene Oxide (rGO) on Green-Emitting Conjugated Copolymer’s Optical and Laser Properties Using Simulation and Experimental Studies
by Saradh Prasad, Raya H. Alhandel, Nassar N. Asemi and Mohamad S. AlSalhi
Polymers 2023, 15(23), 4572; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15234572 - 29 Nov 2023
Viewed by 708
Abstract
The properties of a conjugated copolymer (CP), poly[(9,9-Dioctyl-2,7-divinylenefluorenylene)-alt-co-(2-methoxy-5-(2-ethylhexyloxy)-1,4-phenylene) (PDVF-co-MEH-PV), were investigated in the presence of graphene oxide (GO) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) using absorption, fluorescence, laser, and time-resolved spectroscopy. CPs are usually dissolved in low-polar solvents. Although GO does not dissolve well, [...] Read more.
The properties of a conjugated copolymer (CP), poly[(9,9-Dioctyl-2,7-divinylenefluorenylene)-alt-co-(2-methoxy-5-(2-ethylhexyloxy)-1,4-phenylene) (PDVF-co-MEH-PV), were investigated in the presence of graphene oxide (GO) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) using absorption, fluorescence, laser, and time-resolved spectroscopy. CPs are usually dissolved in low-polar solvents. Although GO does not dissolve well, rGO and PDVF-co-MEH-PV dissolve in chloroform due to their oxygen acceptor sites. Hence, we studied rGO/PDVF-co-MEH-PV (CP/rGO), performing all experiments and simulations in chloroform. We performed simulations on PDVF-co-MEH-PV, approximate GO, and rGO using time-dependent density-functional theory calculations to comprehend the molecular dynamics and interactions at the molecular level. The simulation polymer used a tail-truncated oligomer model with up to three monomer units. The simulation and experimental results were in agreement. Further, the PDVF-co-MEH-PV exhibited fluorescence, laser quenching, rGO-mediated laser blinking, and spectral broadening effects when GO and rGO concentrations increased. The experimental and simulation results were compared to provide a plausible mechanism of interaction between PDVF-co-MEH-PV and rGO. We observed that for lower concentrations of rGO, the interaction did not considerably decrease the amplified spontaneous emissions of PDVF-co-MEH-PV. However, the fluorescence of PDVF-co-MEH-PV was considerably quenched at higher concentrations of rGO. These results could be helpful for future applications, such as in sensors, solar cells, and optoelectronic device design. To demonstrate the sensor capability of these composites, a paper-based sensor was designed to detect ethanol and nitrotoluene. An instrumentation setup was proposed that is cheap, reusable, and multifunctional. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Copolymers: Preparation, Characterization, and Applications)
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