Synthesis and morphology analysis of poly(ethyl vinyl ether)-block-poly(3-phenoxypropylene sulfide) diblock copolymers

Project Description

The application of a thiocarbonyl thio universal mediator allowed for the sequential cationic polymerization of ethyl vinyl ether (EVE) followed by anionic polymerization of 3-phenoxypropylene sulfide (POPS) to form novel p(EVE)¬-b-p(POPS) block copolymers. This finding marks the first example of combining cationic and anionic polymerizations of distinct monomer classes without intermediate compatibilization steps. The goal of this project is to explore the self-assembly characteristics of these new materials by utilizing the chromatography methodology previously developed by BioPacific MIP in order to efficiently generate a library of diblock copolymers covering a large compositional space by fractionating a parent polymer sample on the basis of composition, and then using small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) to explore the associated self-assembly morphologies.

Instruments