Hydrogels are increasingly important for regenerative medicines and personal care products; however, precise control over the nanostructure and molecular transport properties have yet to be widely explored. Furthermore, most hydrogels are chemically crosslinked, preventing further processing of the material. Therefore, hydrogels created from physical crosslinks using self-assembled triblock copolymers allow for more control over nanostructure and chemical environment. Here, we will present the synthesis and self-assembly behavior of a model diblock and triblock copolymer containing poly(styrene) (PS) and poly(n-vinyl pyrrolidone) (PNVP). The triblock copolymer physically crosslinks in water, creating discrete hydrophobic and hydrophilic regions. The PS-PNVP and PS-PNVP-PS block polymers were synthesized using reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization with the use of 2-cyanopropan-2-yl n-methyl-n-(pyridin-4-yl)carbamodithioate, which is a switchable RAFT agent allowing for the synthesis of different monomers. The work presented here will potentially lead to a better understanding of the guiding principles necessary to tailor materials with specific physical properties, chemical characteristics, and supramolecular morphologies.

Nanostructured hydrogels from self-assembled amphiphilic block copolymers

256th National Meeting (2018)

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