Applications ranging from enhanced oil recovery to architectural coatings, including paints, primers, and stains, require the optimization of properties of the materials used for each application. Stimuli-responsive polymers dramatically change properties, such as viscosity and solubility, in response to a small change in an external trigger, including pH or temperature. Understanding how changing the structure of the polymer affects the stimuli-responsive properties allows for the tailoring of the polymer structure to achieve the needed properties for each application. Copolymers of polyethylene glycol (PEG) and poly(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate) (PDMAEMA) were synthesized using Activator ReGenerated Electron Transfer Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization to study the stimuli-responsive properties when changing the block architecture of the copolymers. UV-Visible Spectroscopy and Dynamic Light Scattering were used to determine the change in water-solubility as a function of pH, temperature, polymer concentration, and polymer composition. Viscosity was measured as a function of time, shear rate, and temperature of polymer solutions with controlled pH, polymer concentration, and polymer composition. Additional properties, including interfacial tension and shear modulus, are being tested as a function of polymer concentration and polymer composition. Understanding the effect of block copolymer structure on stimuli-responsive polymer properties in solution enables tailoring these properties for applications including architectural coatings and enhanced oil recovery.

Stimuli-responsive properties of pH- and temperature-responsive block copolymers synthesized via ARGET ATRP

ACS Spring Meeting 2021

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.