Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 19, 2026
07:02
The Preparation and Properties of Thermo-reversibly Cross-linked Rubber Via Diels-Alder Chemistry
Published on: August 25, 2016
Invertible amphiphilic homopolymers
Subhadeep Basu1, Dharma Rao Vutukuri, Subarana Shyamroy
1Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, USA.
Journal of the American Chemical Society
|August 12, 2004
Summary
Researchers developed new "smart" materials from stimuli-responsive polymers. These polymers form unique micelle and inverted micelle structures in different solvents due to conformational changes.
Area of Science:
- Polymer Science
- Materials Science
- Supramolecular Chemistry
Background:
- Stimuli-responsive polymers are key components of advanced "smart" materials.
- These materials offer tunable properties based on external stimuli.
- Understanding self-assembly in different solvent environments is crucial for material design.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce a novel class of amphiphilic homopolymers.
- To investigate the self-assembly behavior of these polymers in polar and apolar solvents.
- To elucidate the relationship between monomer conformation and superstructure formation.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of amphiphilic homopolymers.
- Solvent-based self-assembly studies.
- Analysis of molecular-level conformational changes.
Main Results:
- The synthesized polymers form distinct micelle-like structures in polar solvents.
- The same polymers form inverted micelle-like structures in apolar solvents.
- These structural transitions are directly linked to conformational alterations within the polymer monomer.
Conclusions:
- A new class of stimuli-responsive amphiphilic homopolymers has been synthesized.
- The polymers exhibit solvent-dependent self-assembly into different supramolecular architectures.
- Monomer conformational changes are the driving force behind the observed superstructure formation, enabling "smart" material properties.
Related Concept Videos
02:52Stereoisomerism
Isomerism in Complexes
Isomers are different chemical species that have the same chemical formula.
Transition metal complexes often exist as geometric isomers, in which the same atoms are connected through the same types of bonds but with differences in their orientation in space. Coordination complexes with two different ligands in the cis and trans positions from a ligand of interest form isomers. For example, the octahedral [Co(NH3)4Cl2]+ ion has two isomers (Figure 1) In the cis...
Isomers are different chemical species that have the same chemical formula.
Transition metal complexes often exist as geometric isomers, in which the same atoms are connected through the same types of bonds but with differences in their orientation in space. Coordination complexes with two different ligands in the cis and trans positions from a ligand of interest form isomers. For example, the octahedral [Co(NH3)4Cl2]+ ion has two isomers (Figure 1) In the cis...
02:37Disubstituted Cyclohexanes: cis-trans Isomerism
Depending upon the different spatial orientation of the substituents, the disubstituted cycloalkanes exhibit two types of stereoisomers. The cis isomers have the substituents on the same side of the ring, whereas the trans isomers have the substituents on the opposite sides. These stereoisomers exhibit different physical properties and cannot be interconverted without breaking the carbon-carbon bonds.
In cyclohexane, the substituents can occupy different positions generating distinct isomers.
In cyclohexane, the substituents can occupy different positions generating distinct isomers.
02:43Isomerism
Isomers are molecules with the same molecular formula but different structural arrangements. Isomers can be further classified into constitutional isomers and stereoisomers. Constitutional isomers differ in the connectivity of their constituent atoms. For example, 2-butanol and diethyl ether are constitutional isomers, as they have the same chemical formula, C4H10O, but differ in the connectivity of the carbon and oxygen atoms. Constitutional isomers have different physical and chemical...
02:32Stereoisomers
On the basis of mirror symmetry, stereoisomers of an organic molecule can be further classified into diastereomers and enantiomers. Diastereomers are stereoisomers that are not mirror images of each other. Substituted alkenes, such as the cis and trans isomers of 2-butene, are diastereomers, as these molecules exhibit different spatial orientations of their constituent atoms, are not mirror images of each other, and do not interconvert. Here, the interconversion is suppressed due to restricted...
02:33Stereoisomerism of Cyclic Compounds
In this lesson, we delve into the role of ring conformation and its stability, which determines the spatial arrangement and, consequently, the molecular symmetry and stereoisomerism of cyclic compounds. 1,2-Dimethylcyclohexane is used as a case study to evaluate the possible number of stereoisomers. Here, given the multiple (n = 2) chiral centers, there are 2n = 4 possible configurations that lack a plane of symmetry, as the ring skeleton exists in a non-planar chair conformation. In addition,...
![[3,3] Sigmatropic Rearrangement of 1,5-Dienes: Cope Rearrangement](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcloudfront.jove.com%2Ffiles%2Fmedia%2Fscience-education%2Fscience-education-thumbs%2F12422.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
01:21[3,3] Sigmatropic Rearrangement of 1,5-Dienes: Cope Rearrangement
The Cope rearrangement is classified as a [3,3] sigmatropic shift in 1,5-dienes, leading to a more stable, isomeric 1,5-diene. The reaction involves a concerted movement of six electrons, four from two π bonds and two from a σ bond, via an energetically favorable chair-like transition state.