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Related Concept Videos

Characteristics and Nomenclature of Copolymers01:24

Characteristics and Nomenclature of Copolymers

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Copolymers are the products obtained from the polymerization of multiple monomer species. So, in a polymer chain itself, there can be multiple repeating units that come from different monomers. The process of synthesizing a polymer from different monomer species is called copolymerization. When two monomers are involved, the polymer is known as a bipolymer. Polymers with three and four monomers are termed terpolymers and quaterpolymers, respectively. Figure 1 depicts the copolymerization of...
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Step-Growth Polymerization: Overview01:03

Step-Growth Polymerization: Overview

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Step-growth or condensation polymerization is a stepwise reaction of bi or multifunctional monomers to form long-chain polymers. As all the monomers are reactive, most of the monomers are consumed at the early stages of the reaction to form small chains of reactive oligomers, which then combine to form long polymer chains in the late stages. Hence, the reaction has to proceed for a long time to achieve high molecular weight polymers.
Many natural and synthetic polymers are produced by...
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Polymers02:34

Polymers

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The word polymer is derived from the Greek words “poly” which means “many” and “mer” which means “parts”. Polymers are long chains of molecules composed of repeating units of smaller molecules, known as monomers. They either occur naturally, such as DNA and proteins, or can be constructed synthetically, like plastics. They have varied structural characteristics, such as linear chains, branched chains, or complex networks, that contribute to the...
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Polymer Classification: Architecture01:14

Polymer Classification: Architecture

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Polymers are classified as linear or branched on the basis of their chain architecture. The polymer chains in linear polymers have a long chain-like structure with minimal to no branching at all. Even if a polymer features large substituent groups on the monomer, which appear as branches to the skeleton, it is not considered a branched polymer. A branched polymer contains secondary polymer chains that arise from the main polymer chain. The branching occurs when the polymer growth shifts from...
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Anionic Chain-Growth Polymerization: Overview01:20

Anionic Chain-Growth Polymerization: Overview

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The polymerization process that involves carbanion as an intermediate is called anionic polymerization. It is also a type of addition or chain-growth polymerization. Anionic polymerization gets initiated by a strong nucleophile such as an organolithium or a Grignard reagent. The most commonly used initiator for anionic polymerization is butyl lithium. Monomers involved in anionic polymerization must possess a vinyl group bonded to one or two electron-withdrawing groups. For instance,...
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Anionic Chain-Growth Polymerization: Mechanism01:04

Anionic Chain-Growth Polymerization: Mechanism

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The mechanism for anionic chain-growth polymerization involves initiation, propagation, and termination steps. In the initiation step, a nucleophilic anion, such as butyl lithium, initiates the polymerization process by attacking the π bond of the vinylic monomer. As a result, a carbanion, stabilized by the electron‐withdrawing group, is generated. The resulting carbanion acts as a Michael donor in the propagation step and attacks the second vinylic monomer, which acts as a Michael...
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Synthesis of Monodisperse Cylindrical Nanoparticles via Crystallization-driven Self-assembly of Biodegradable Block Copolymers
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Novel Self-Assembling Amino Acid-Derived Block Copolymer with Changeable Polymer Backbone Structure.

Tomoyuki Koga1, Eri Aso1, Nobuyuki Higashi1

  • 1Department of Molecular Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Science & Engineering, Doshisha University , Kyotanabe, Kyoto 610-0321, Japan.

Langmuir : the ACS Journal of Surfaces and Colloids
|June 25, 2016
PubMed
Summary

Researchers developed a novel block copolymer that transforms from polyester to polypeptide. This unique polymer self-assembles into hollow nanospheres, offering new possibilities for nanostructured materials.

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Area of Science:

  • Polymer Chemistry
  • Materials Science
  • Nanotechnology

Background:

  • Block copolymers are key building blocks for advanced nanostructured materials.
  • Developing polymers with tunable backbone structures and self-assembly properties is an ongoing challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To synthesize and characterize a novel block copolymer with a changeable polymer backbone.
  • To investigate the polymer-to-polymer conversion mechanism and its effect on self-assembly.
  • To explore the potential of this new system for creating novel nanostructures.

Main Methods:

  • Synthesis of poly(Fmoc-Ser)ester-b-PSt block copolymer via polycondensation and reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization.
  • Base-induced deprotection of Fmoc groups to trigger O,N-acyl migration and backbone conversion.
  • Morphological analysis using FTIR spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM), and transmission/scanning electron microscopy (TEM/SEM).

Main Results:

  • Successful synthesis of a block copolymer with a convertible polyester to polypeptide backbone.
  • Quantitative polymer-to-polymer conversion occurred without altering the degree of polymerization.
  • The resulting peptide block copolymer self-assembled into vesicle-like hollow nanospheres (approx. 300 nm diameter) in toluene.
  • The peptide block adopted a β-sheet structure, indicating peptide-guided self-assembly.

Conclusions:

  • A novel block copolymer system capable of backbone transformation from polyester to polypeptide was developed.
  • This transformation significantly alters self-assembling properties, leading to peptide-guided formation of hollow nanospheres.
  • The findings present a new strategy for designing self-assembling block copolymers for advanced nanomaterials.