Chemistry Publications
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
8-24-2018
Journal
Journal of Polymer Science Part A: Polymer Chemistry
Volume
56
Issue
16
First Page
1868
Last Page
1877
URL with Digital Object Identifier
https://doi.org/10.1002/pola.29070
Abstract
Self-immolative polymers (SIPs) undergo depolymerization in response to the cleavage of stimuli-responsive end-caps from their termini. Some classes of SIPs, including polycarbamates, have depolymerization rates that depend on environmental factors such as solvent and pH. In previous work, hydrophobic SIPs have been incorporated into amphiphilic block copolymers and used to prepare nanoassemblies. However, stimuli-responsive hydrophilic blocks have not previously been incorporated. In the current work, we synthesized amphiphilic copolymers composed of a hydrophobic polycarbamate SIP block and a hydrophilic poly(2-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate) (PDMAEMA) block connected by a UV light-responsive linker end-cap. It was hypothesized that after assembly of the block copolymers into nanoparticles, chain collapse of the PDMAEMA above its lower critical solution temperature (LCST) might change the environment of the SIP block, thereby altering its depolymerization rate. Self-assembly of the block copolymers was performed, and the depolymerization of the resulting assemblies was studied by fluorescence spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, and NMR spectroscopy. At 20 °C, the system exhibited a selective response to the UV light. At 65 °C, above the LCST of PDMAEMA, the systems underwent more rapid depolymerization, suggesting that the increase in rate arising from the higher temperature dominated over environmental effects arising from chain collapse.
Notes
"This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Yardley, R.E. & Gillies, E.R. (2018). Multi-stimuli-responsive Self-immolative Polymer Assemblies. Journal of Polymer Science Part A: Polymer Chemistry, 56(16), 1868-1877, which has been published in final form at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/pola.29070. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions."