Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 15, 2025
09:16
Synthesis of Terpolymers at Mild Temperatures Using Dynamic Sulfur Bonds in PolyS-Divinylbenzene
Published on: May 20, 2019
7.8K
Interfacial Properties of Miktoarm Star Polymers with a Poly(divinylbenzene) Core
Ting-Chih Lin1, Mateusz Olszewski1, Jiajun Yan1,2
1Department of Chemistry, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States.
Langmuir : the ACS Journal of Surfaces and Colloids
|July 14, 2025
Summary
Miktoarm star polymers with hydrophilic and hydrophobic arms adsorb at oil/water interfaces. Their interfacial properties depend on arm length, influencing adsorption kinetics and rheological response.
Area of Science:
- Polymer Science
- Surface Chemistry
- Materials Science
Background:
- Miktoarm star polymers possess distinct hydrophilic and hydrophobic arms, enabling unique interfacial behavior.
- Understanding their adsorption and rheology at oil/water interfaces is crucial for applications like emulsification and drug delivery.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the interfacial properties of miktoarm star polymers with poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) hydrophilic arms and poly(n-butyl acrylate) (PBA) or poly(lauryl acrylate) (PLA) hydrophobic arms.
- To elucidate the kinetics of adsorption and interfacial rheological response at the oil/water interface.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of miktoarm star polymers with varying arm lengths.
- Adsorption kinetics studies at the oil/water interface.
- Interfacial oscillatory dilatational rheology measurements.
Main Results:
- Adsorption kinetics from the oil phase were concentration-dependent, suggesting a rate-limiting adsorption/penetration step.
- PEO star polymers exhibited diffusion-controlled kinetics, indicating facile adsorption.
- Interfacial rheology depended on relative arm lengths; similar lengths led to frequency-dependent responses, while longer hydrophilic arms resulted in frequency-independent behavior.
Conclusions:
- The desolvation of hydrophobic arms from the oil phase influences adsorption rates.
- The relative lengths of hydrophilic and hydrophobic arms dictate the polymer's interfacial behavior and stability.
- Longer hydrophilic arms can effectively 'pin' polymers at the interface, leading to distinct rheological properties.
More Related Videos
10:53Anionic Polymerization of an Amphiphilic Copolymer for Preparation of Block Copolymer Micelles Stabilized by π-π Stacking Interactions
Published on: October 10, 2016
14.2K
06:55Synthesis of Cyclic Polymers and Characterization of Their Diffusive Motion in the Melt State at the Single Molecule Level
Published on: September 26, 2016
8.0K
Related Concept Videos
01:10Polymers: Molecular Weight Distribution
3.7K
For any given polymer, the weight average molecular weight (Mw) is higher than, if not equal to, the number average molecular weight (Mn). The only situation in which the weight average molecular weight and the number average molecular weight are equal is when a polymer consists only of chains with equal molecular weight. However, this never happens in a synthetic polymer, since it is difficult to control the polymerization process up to a molecular level with accuracy to a hundred percent.
3.7K
02:34Polymers
37.1K
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...
37.1K
01:26Polymer Classification: Stereospecificity
2.6K
Polymerization generates chiral centers along the entire backbone of a polymer chain. Accordingly, the stereochemistry of the substituent group has a significant effect on polymer properties. Polymers formed from monosubstituted alkene monomers feature chiral carbons at every alternate position in the polymer backbone. Relative to the predominant orientation of substituents at the adjacent chiral carbons, the polymer can exist in three different configurations: isotactic, syndiotactic, and...
2.6K
01:14Polymer Classification: Architecture
3.0K
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...
3.0K
01:13Olefin Metathesis Polymerization: Overview
2.2K
Recently, the development of olefin metathesis polymerization advanced the field of polymer synthesis. Simply put, the reorganization of substituents on their double bonds between two olefins in the presence of a catalyst is known as the olefin metathesis reaction. The use of metathesis reaction for polymer synthesis is called olefin metathesis polymerization.
Ruthenium-based Grubbs catalyst is the most commonly used catalyst for olefin metathesis polymerization. Grubbs catalyst consists...
Ruthenium-based Grubbs catalyst is the most commonly used catalyst for olefin metathesis polymerization. Grubbs catalyst consists...
2.2K
01:24Characteristics and Nomenclature of Copolymers
2.7K
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...
2.7K