In Situ Hydrolysis of Block Copolymers at the Water‐Oil Interface
Abstract
In situ manipulation of the chemical composition of block copolymers at the fluid interfaces affords a route by which the interfacial tension, the packing of the copolymers, and the penetration of the blocks into the two liquids can be controlled. Here, a series of linear block copolymers of poly(solketal methacrylate‐b‐styrene) (PSM‐b‐PS) are used, converting hydrophobic PSM block into a hydrophilic glycerol monomethacrylate (GM) block, that results in a marked decrease in the liquid‐liquid interfacial tension. The kinetics of the first‐order hydrolysis reaction was analyzed by monitoring the time‐dependent interfacial tension as a function of pH, polymer concentration, molecular weight, and composition. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) was used to measure the in‐plane dynamics of the copolymers before and after hydrolysis. This work provides insights into a quantitative pathway by which in situ interfacial reactions may be performed and monitored in real time, completely changing the interfacial activity of the molecule.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Apr 26, 2022
- Source ID
- 10.1002/anie.202201392
Entities
People
- Darren M. Smith
- Hong‐gyu Seong
- Javid Rzayev
- Mingqiu Hu
- Thomas Paul Russell
- Todd Emrick
- Xindi Li
- Zhan Chen
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
- United States Army Research Laboratory
- University at Buffalo
- University of Massachusetts