For applications ranging from electronics to drug delivery, the supramolecular self-assembly properties of polymers as functional nanostructures is of great interest. The pH responsiveness of electrostatically functionalized polymers has been used to form materials such as hydrogels, nanoparticles and layer-by-layer thin films. For this work, two classes of overall-neutral charged polymers are of import: dual functionalized equimolar cationic/anionic systems and zwitterion functionalized systems. Largely their use has been in the generation of coatings that bind strongly onto water molecules at the interface (e.g. providing 'stealth' properties). While self-assembly of these systems into nanostructures has been observed, little in the way of bulk assessment of the intrinsic strength of these interactions has occurred. Different charged polymers were prepared by functionalizing poly[(allyl glycidyl ether)-b-(ethylene oxide)-b-(allyl glycidyl ether)] (P(AGE-b-EO-b-AGE)) with different charged thiols through highly efficient photo-initiated thiol-ene chemistry. Equimolar amounts of polymers with positive charged side chains and negative charged side chains were then mixed together and compared to polymers with zwitterionic side chains which possess similar charge densities. The bulk polymers were characterized by TGA, DSC and DMA and the effect of the nature of ionic interactions on the thermal/mechanical properties studied. The findings of this presentation will illustrate the importance of understanding differences in the interaction between cation/anion and zwitterion driven assembly, providing insight for tailoring nanostructured polymers for specific applications.

Determining the extent of interaction of zwitterionic vs. blended ionic polymers for use in supramolecular self-assembly via thermal and mechanical characterization

248th National Meeting (2014)

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