Triple Hydrophilic Statistical Terpolymers via RAFT Polymerization: Synthesis and Properties in Aqueous Solutions

In this work, we report the synthesis of novel triple hydrophilic statistical terpolymers consisting of three different methacrylate monomers with varying degrees of responsivity to solution conditions. Terpolymers of the type poly(di(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate-co-2-(dimethylamino)ethylmethacrylate-co-oligoethylene glycol methyl ether methacrylate), P(DEGMA-co-DMAEMA-co-OEGMA), and of different compositions, were prepared by using the RAFT methodology. Their molecular characterization was carried out using size exclusion chromatography (SEC) and spectroscopic techniques, including ¹H-NMR and ATR-FTIR. Studies in dilute aqueous media by dynamic and electrophoretic light scattering (DLS and ELS) show their potential responsiveness regarding changes in temperature, pH, and kosmotropic salt concentration. Finally, the change in hydrophilic/hydrophobic balance of the formed terpolymer nanoparticles during heating and cooling was studied using fluorescence spectroscopy (FS) in conjunction with pyrene giving additional information on the responsiveness and internal structure of the self-assembled nanoaggregates.