Poly(ionic liquid)s (PILs) block copolymers with well-defined structures were successfully synthesized by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). Both AB and ABA type PIL block copolymers were obtained using various ATRP macroinitiators, including polystyrene (PS), poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), poly(n-butyl acrylate) (PnBA), poly(t-butyl acrylate) (PtBA), and PIL macroinitiators. The resulting PIL block copolymers were characterized by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) using salt-containing THF as the eluent. The amphiphilic poly(acrylic acid) (PAA)-b-PIL self-assembled in THF/H2O mixture to form nanoscale particles with internal bicontinuous cubic phase and external cuboidal morphology. The morphologies of the self-assembled aggregates were influenced by the variations in the polymer composition and concentration, temperature, the nature and content of the common solvent and precipitant (water).

Poly(ionic liquid)s block copolymers: Synthesis by ATRP, characterization, and self-assembly

248th National Meeting (2014)

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