Tuning the properties of PS-PIAT block copolymers and their assembly into polymersomes

• Main Authors: Hans-Peter M. de Hoog, Dennis M. Vriezema, Madhavan Nallani, Suzanne Kuiper, Jeroen J. L. M. Cornelissen, Alan E. Rowan, Roeland J. M. Nolte
• Other Authors: School of Materials Science & Engineering
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2011
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering::Materials::Biomaterials
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/91382; http://hdl.handle.net/10220/6789
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

The diblock copolymer polystyrene-b-polyisocyanoalanine(2-thiophene-3-yl-ethyl)amide (PS–PIAT) was prepared by reacting the isocyanide monomer (1) with a Ni(II) initiator complex prepared from polystyrene amine (PS40NH2), either obtained by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) or anionic polymerization (AP). It was found that polymerization of optically pure 1 followed first-order kinetics in monomer concentration and resulted in the formation of insoluble block copolymers, whereas the rate of polymerization of optical mixtures of 1 was retarded and yielded block copolymers that were better soluble. Furthermore, PS–PIAT polymersomes of which the PS-block was prepared by AP were more stable than polymersomes of which the PS-block was prepared by ATRP, as was indicated by combined turbidity and dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurements on the aggregate solutions.