Synthesis and characterization of poly (ethyl methacrylate)-b-poly(dimethyl siloxane)-b-poly(ethyl methacrylate) triblock copolymer: the effect of solvent on morphology

• Published in: Journal of polymer research 2016-08, Vol.23 (8), p.1, Article 148
• Main Authors: Semsarzadeh, Mohammad Ali, Ghahramani, Maral
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Industrial Chemistry/Chemical Engineering; Original Paper; Polymer Sciences
• ISSN: 1022-9760; 1572-8935
• DOI: 10.1007/s10965-016-1032-3

Atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of ethyl methacrylate (EMA) was carried out at 80 °C using poly(dimethyl siloxane) (PDMS) bifunctional macroinitiator, copper chloride (CuCl) catalyst, and N, N, N ′ , N ″ , N ″ -penta methyl diethyl triamine (PMDETA) ligand in toluene solvent. The final microstructure and kinetic of polymerization of the PEMA- b -PDMS- b -PEMA block copolymer were analyzed by 1 H-NMR, FT-IR and gel permeation chromatography (GPC) techniques. The effect of solvent on self-assembly and morphology of PEMA- b -PDMS- b -PEMA triblock copolymer is reported. Intrinsic viscosity measurements, UV absorption and thermodynamic properties evaluations were indicated that certain interactions existed between this block copolymer and acetone, toluene and dichloromethane (DCM) solvents before film formation. The effect of solvent on the final morphology of PEMA- b -PDMS- b -PEMA block copolymer was studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) analyses. The morphology of the block copolymer was transformed from circular into cylindrical and branched as the solvent was changed from DCM into the toluene and acetone, respectively.