Block copolymer micelles with lower critical solution temperature (LCST) as novel stimuli-responsive systems in heterogeneous systems based on ionic liquids

POLY 221

Carlos Guerrero-Sanchez, c.a.guerrero.sanchez@tue.nl1, Richard Hoogenboom, r.hoogenboom@tue.nl1, and Ulrich S. Schubert, ulrich.schubert@uni-jena.de2. (1) Laboratory of Macromolecular Chemistry and Nanoscience, Eindhoven University of Technology and Dutch Polymer Institute, PO Box 513, Eindhoven, 5600 MB, Netherlands, (2) Laboratory of Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Humboldtstr. 10, D-07743 Jena, Germany
A poly(2-nonyl-2-oxazoline-block-2-ethyl-2-oxazoline-block-2-methyl-2-oxazoline) triblock copolymer was used for the preparation of self-assembled micelles in the hydrophobic ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate. It was found that the transfer of the micelles formed by this triblock copolymer from the ionic liquid phase to an aqueous phase can be reversibly achieved by heating or cooling the system. The findings reported in this contribution reveal the existence of interesting stimuli-responsive block copolymer micellar structures exhibiting thermo-reversible phase transfer characteristics in a bi-phase system. Stimuli-responsive block copolymer micelles prepared within this kind of heterogeneous systems may find important applications in the encapsulation, transport, and delivery of guest molecules as well as the development of advanced heterogeneous micellar catalytic and novel separation processes.
 

Functional Nanomaterials from New Polymer Synthetic Methodologies
8:30 AM-12:00 PM, Monday, April 7, 2008 Hilton New Orleans Riverside -- Grand Salon 7/10, Oral

Division of Polymer Chemistry

The 235th ACS National Meeting, New Orleans, LA, April 6-10, 2008