POLY 189 |
| The formation of a polymer gel network, including the association and crosslinking of polymer chains in solution, has been well studied. On the other hand, the fragmentation or decomposition of polymer clusters or a gel network has not attracted sufficient attention, partially due to the difficulty in finding a proper system. In this study, we used atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) to synthesize narrowly distributed 4-arm-polystyrene (PS) chains terminated with bromine end functional groups that were further modified to thiol groups. Using the oxidization of the two thiol end groups to from a disulfide bond, we were able to crosslink 4-arm-PS chains in solutions to form polymer clusters or a gel network. The reduction of the disulfide bond leads to the decomposition or fragmentation of these clusters or the gel network. Using a combination of static and dynamic laser light scattering (LLS), we studied both the formation and fragmentation of such reversible polymer clusters and gel network. |
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General Papers: Functional Materials
6:00 PM-8:00 PM, Sunday, August 19, 2007 BCEC -- Exhibit Hall - B2, Poster
Division of Polymer Chemistry |