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Well-Defined Dual Light- and Thermo-Responsive Rod-Coil Block Copolymers Containing an Azobenzene, MEO<sub>2</sub>MA and OEGMA
oleh: Changjun Park, Jaewon Heo, Jinhee Lee, Taehyoung Kim, Sang Youl Kim
Format: | Article |
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Diterbitkan: | MDPI AG 2020-02-01 |
Deskripsi
Here we report the dual light- and thermo-responsive behavior of well-defined rod-coil block copolymers composed of an azobenzene unit, 2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethyl methacrylate (MEO<sub>2</sub>MA) and oligo(ethylene glycol) methacrylate (OEGMA). Azobenzene-containing rigid rod blocks prepared by chain growth condensation polymerization of the azobenzene containing monomer were used as a macroinitiator of atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) after attaching an α-bromoisobutyryl group as an end group. Synthesis of well-defined rod-coil block copolymers with different coil block lengths was achieved by copolymerization of MEO<sub>2</sub>MA and OEGMA monomers. The synthesized polymers exhibited amphiphilic properties and polymeric micelles were formed in aqueous solution. The light-responsive behaviors of azobenzene moieties, photoisomerization by irradiation of light, and thermo-responsive behaviors of P(MEO<sub>2</sub>MA-<i>co</i>-OEGMA) coil blocks, aggregation by increment of temperature over lower critical solution temperature, were investigated. A dual stimuli-responsive behavior of the rod-coil block copolymers was observed when exposed to light and heat.