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Synthesis, characterization, and solution behavior of well-defined double hydrophilic linear amphiphilic poly (N-isopropylacrylamide)-b-poly (ε-caprolactone)-b-poly (N-isopropylacrylamide) triblock copolymers

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Abstract

Well-defined linear dihydrophilic amphiphilic ABA-type triblock copolymers of ε-caprolactone (CL) and N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm) have successfully been synthesized with a high yield by combining the ring opening polymerization (ROP) and xanthate-mediated reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization methods. The resulted block copolymer shows the formation of micelles in water as supported by light scattering. The critical micelle concentration (cmc) value of the micelle increases with the increase in the chain length of the poly (N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) block. Cloud point of the block copolymers decreases with the decrease in the PNIPAAm chain length. The TGA analysis shows a one-step degradation and a lower thermal stability of the triblock copolymer than the PNIPAAm. The DSC analysis of the triblock copolymer shows the lowering of glass transition temperature (T g), and melting temperature (T m) peaks possibly due to the partial miscibility of the poly (ε-caprolactone) (PCL) block with the amorphous PNIPAAm block through the interaction of ester groups of PCL with the amide groups of PNIPAAm. The XRD pattern of the triblock copolymer shows a broad peak due to the suppression of the crystallization of PCL block owing to the mixing of PNIPAAm block with the PCL block.

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Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support from the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, through grant no. SR/S1/PC-25/2006. A.K.M., N.K.V., and V.K.P. acknowledges CSIR, Government of India for Research Fellowships.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, 221005, India

    Avnish Kumar Mishra, Niraj Kumar Vishwakarma, Vijay Kumar Patel, Chandra Sekhar Biswas & Biswajit Ray

  2. Polymer Science Unit, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Jadavpur, Kolkata, 700032, India

    Tapas Kumar Paira & Tarun Kumar Mandal

  3. School of Material Science and Technology, Indian Institute of Technology (Banaras Hindu University), Varanasi, 221005, India

    Pralay Maiti

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  1. Avnish Kumar Mishra
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Mishra, A.K., Vishwakarma, N.K., Patel, V.K. et al. Synthesis, characterization, and solution behavior of well-defined double hydrophilic linear amphiphilic poly (N-isopropylacrylamide)-b-poly (ε-caprolactone)-b-poly (N-isopropylacrylamide) triblock copolymers. Colloid Polym Sci 292, 1405–1418 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00396-014-3201-4

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