Synthesis, morphology, and sensory applications of multifunctional rod-coil-coil triblock copolymers and their electrospun nanofibers.
We report the synthesis, morphology, and applications of conjugated rod-coil-coil triblock copolymers, polyfluorene-block-poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-block-poly(N-methylolacrylamide) (PF-b-PNIPAAm-b-PNMA), prepared by atom transfer radical polymerization first and followed by click coupling reaction. The blocks of PF, PNIPAAm, and PNMA were designed for fluorescent probing, hydrophilic thermo-responsive and chemically cross-linking, respectively. In the following, the electrospun (ES) nanofibers of PF-b-PNIPAAm-b-PNMA were prepared in pure water using a single-capillary spinneret. The SAXS and TEM results suggested the lamellar structure of the PF-b-PNIPAAm-b-PNMA along the fiber axis. These obtained nanofibers showed outstanding wettability and dimension stability in the aqueous solution, and resulted in a reversible on/off transition on photoluminescence as the temperatures varied. Furthermore, the high surface/volume ratio of the ES nanofibers efficiently enhanced the temperature-sensitivity and responsive speed compared to those of the drop-cast film. The results indicated that the ES nanofibers of the conjugated rod-coil block copolymers would have potential applications for multifunctional sensory devices.
Department of Chemical Engineering and ⊥Institute of Polymer Science and Engineering, National Taiwan University , Taipei 10617, Taiwan.
Yu-Cheng
YC
Chiu
Yougen
Y
Chen
Chi-Ching
CC
Kuo
Shih-Huang
SH
Tung
Toyoji
T
Kakuchi
Wen-Chang
WC
Chen
D000178:Acrylamides / Q000737:chemistry; D000180:Acrylic Resins / Q000737:chemistry; D015374:Biosensing Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation; D004595:Electroplating; D057139:Nanofibers / Q000737:chemistry*; D058105:Polymerization; D011108:Polymers / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry; D013696:Temperature
D000178:Acrylamides; D000180:Acrylic Resins; D011108:Polymers; C052970:poly-N-isopropylacrylamide; C066443:N-methylolacrylamide