Micellization of Graft Copolymers of Alkyl Methacrylates with α-Methyl-ω-hydroxypoly(oxyethylene) Methacrylates

✍ Scribed by Čestmı́r Koňák; Martin Helmstedt; Pavla Kopečková; Jindřich Kopeček

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1998
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 144 KB
• Volume: 208
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0021-9797
• DOI: 10.1006/jcis.1998.5785

✦ Synopsis

The solution properties of graft copolymers having a poly-(methyl methacrylate-co-lauryl methacrylate) backbone and poly-(oxyethylene) branches of different compositions were studied by static and dynamic light scattering methods in ethanol-water mixed solvents. The graft copolymers formed multimolecular aggregates in mixed solvents with water content higher than or equal to 10 vol%. The difference in solubility of lauryl and poly(oxyethylene) side chains of copolymers seems to be a dominant factor in determining their association behavior. The micelle formation is preferred in such solvents (water content >30 vol%) where the difference in solubilities of LAM and PEO side chains on graft copolymers is higher than a critical one. In conditions where there is a lower difference in solubilities of the side chains (water content 10 -20 vol%), the random association of copolymers dominates. Copolymers were fully soluble in ethanol with low water content (1 vol%). The highest association number of micelles and consequently the lowest polydispersity were obtained with copolymers having the longest PEO side chains (M w ‫؍‬ 5000 g mol ؊1 ).