Organic Donor-Acceptor-Donor Trimers Nanoparticles Stabilized by Amphiphilic Block Copolymers for Photocatalytic Generation of H2.

Photocatalytic generation of H2 via water splitting emerges as a promising avenue for the next generation of green hydrogen due to its low carbon footprint. Herein, a versatile platform is designed to the preparation of functional π-conjugated organic nanoparticles dispersed in aqueous phase via mini-emulsification. Such particles are composed of donor-acceptor-donor (DAD) trimers prepared via Stille coupling, stabilized by amphiphilic block copolymers synthesized by reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerization. The hydrophilic segment of the block copolymers will not only provide colloidal stability, but also allow for precise control over the surface functionalization. Photocatalytic tests of the resulting particles for H2 production resulted in promising photocatalytic activity (≈0.6 mmol g-1 h-1). This activity is much enhanced compared to that of DAD trimers dispersed in the water phase without stabilization by the block copolymers.

Streamlining the Generation of Advanced Polymer Materials Through the Marriage of Automation and Multiblock Copolymer Synthesis in Emulsion.

Synthetic polymers are of paramount importance in modern life - an incredibly wide range of polymeric materials possessing an impressive variety of properties have been developed to date. The recent emergence of artificial intelligence and automation presents a great opportunity to significantly speed up discovery and development of the next generation of advanced polymeric materials. We have focused on the high-throughput automated synthesis of multiblock copolymers that comprise three or more distinct polymer segments of different monomer composition bonded in linear sequence. The present work has exploited automation to prepare high molar mass multiblock copolymers (typically>100,000 g mol-1) using reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization in aqueous emulsion. A variety of original multiblock copolymers have been synthesised via a Chemspeed robot, exemplified by a multiblock copolymer comprising thirteen constituent blocks. Moreover, libraries of copolymers of randomized monomer compositions (acrylates, acrylamides, methacrylates, and styrenes), block orders, and block lengths were also generated, thereby demonstrating the robustness of our synthetic approach. One multiblock copolymer contained all four monomer families listed in the pool, which is unprecedented in the literature. The present work demonstrates that automation has the power to render complex and laborious syntheses of such unprecedented materials not just possible, but facile and straightforward, thus representing the way forward to the next generation of complex macromolecular architectures.

Molecular Photoswitching of Main-Chain α-Bisimines in Solid-State Polymers.

Photoisomerization of chromophores usually shows significantly less efficiency in solid polymers than in solution as strong intermolecular interactions lock their conformation. Herein, we establish the impact of macromolecular architecture on the isomerization efficiency of main-chain-incorporated chromophores (i.e., α-bisimine) in both solution and the solid state. We demonstrate that branched architectures deliver the highest isomerization efficiency for the main-chain chromophore in the solid state─remarkably as high as 70% compared to solution. The macromolecular design principles established herein for efficient solid-state photoisomerization can serve as a blueprint for enhancing the solid-state isomerization efficiency for other polymer systems, such as those based on azobenzenes.

Multiblock copolymer synthesis via RAFT emulsion polymerization.

A multiblock copolymer is a polymer of a specific structure that consists of multiple covalently linked segments, each comprising a different monomer type. The control of the monomer sequence has often been described as the "holy grail" of synthetic polymer chemistry, with the ultimate goal being synthetic access to polymers of a "perfect" structure, where each monomeric building block is placed at a desired position along the polymer chain. Given that polymer properties are intimately linked to the microstructure and monomer distribution along the constituent chains, it goes without saying that there exist seemingly endless opportunities in terms of fine-tuning the properties of such materials by careful consideration of the length of each block, the number and order of blocks, and the inclusion of monomers with specific functional groups. The area of multiblock copolymer synthesis remains relatively unexplored, in particular with regard to structure-property relationships, and there are currently significant opportunities for the design and synthesis of advanced materials. The present review focuses on the synthesis of multiblock copolymers via reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization implemented as aqueous emulsion polymerization. RAFT emulsion polymerization offers intriguing opportunities not only for the advanced synthesis of multiblock copolymers, but also provides access to polymeric nanoparticles of specific morphologies. Precise multiblock copolymer synthesis coupled with self-assembly offers material morphology control on length scales ranging from a few nanometers to a micrometer. It is imperative that polymer chemists interact with physicists and material scientists to maximize the impact of these materials of the future.

Electrochemically-Initiated RAFT Synthesis of Low Dispersity Multiblock Copolymers by Seeded Emulsion Polymerization.

We describe electrochemically initiated emulsion polymerization with reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (eRAFT) to form well-defined multiblock copolymers with low molar mass dispersity. We demonstrate the utility of our emulsion eRAFT process with the synthesis of low dispersity multiblock copolymers by seeded RAFT emulsion polymerization at ambient temperature (∼30 °C). Thus, a triblock, poly(butyl methacrylate)-block-polystyrene-block-poly(4-methylstyrene) [PBMA-b-PSt-b-PMS], and a tetrablock, poly(butyl methacrylate)-block-polystyrene-block-poly(styrene-stat-butyl acrylate)-block-polystyrene [PBMA-b-PSt-b-P(BA-stat-St)-b-PSt], were synthesized as free-flowing, colloidally stable latexes commencing with a surfactant-free poly(butyl methacrylate) macroRAFT agent seed latex. A straightforward sequential addition strategy with no intermediate purification steps was able to be employed due to the high monomer conversions achieved in each step. The method takes full advantage of compartmentalization phenomena and the nanoreactor concept described in previous work to achieve the predicted molar mass, low molar mass dispersity (D ∼ 1.1-1.2), incrementing particle size (Zav = 100-115 nm), and low particle size dispersity (PDI ∼ 0.02) for each generation of the multiblocks.

Synthesis of Multicompositional Onion-like Nanoparticles via RAFT Emulsion Polymerization.

Synthesis of multicompositional polymeric nanoparticles of diameters 100-150 nm comprising well-defined multiblock copolymers reaching from the particle surface to the particle core was conducted using surfactant-free aqueous macroRAFT emulsion polymerization. The imposed constraints on chain mobility as well as chemical incompatibility between the blocks result in microphase separation, leading to formation of an onion-like multilayered particle morphology with individual layer thicknesses of approximately 20 nm. The approach provides considerable versatility in particle morphology design as the composition of individual layers as well as the number of layers can be tailored as desired, offering more complex particle design compared to approaches relying on self-assembly of preformed diblock copolymers within particles. Microphase separation can occur in these systems under conditions where the corresponding bulk system would not theoretically result in microphase separation.

RAFT Emulsion Polymerization: MacroRAFT Agent Self-Assembly Investigated Using a Solvachromatic Dye.

Polymerization-induced self-assembly (PISA) and amphiphilic-macroRAFT-mediated emulsion polymerization are commonly used approaches for synthesis of well-defined polymers and sophisticated particle morphologies. One aspect of these systems that remains relatively unexplored is the conformational state of macroRAFT agents in aqueous solution. To redress this deficiency, we have used fluorescence spectrometry experiments to conduct detailed investigations of the coil conformation across a wide range of pH values for a series of poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) and poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA) macroRAFT agents with different Z-groups (-S-(CH2)2-COOH, -S-(CH2)3-CH3, and -S-(CH2)11-CH3), as well as amphiphilic macroRAFT agents (PMAA-b-poly(methyl methacrylate)(PMMA) and PAA-b-polystyrene(PS)). The critical aggregate concentrations (CAC) or critical micelle concentrations (CMC) for all systems ranged from 7.48 × 10-7 to 2.57 × 10-3 mol L-1. Overall, an extensive library of CAC/CMC values has been compiled for PAA- and PMAA-based macroRAFT agents at different pH conditions, providing important information related to the mechanistic understanding and optimization of macroRAFT-assisted emulsion polymerization.

Reversible Destabilization of UV-Responsive Polymer Particles (Latex) using a Photoresponsive Surfactant.

Production of aqueous dispersions of polymeric nanoparticles via heterogeneous radical polymerization in emulsion-type systems is of enormous commercial importance. The ability to reversibly destabilize such a latex is highly desirable, for example, to save transportation costs. Herein, a method for synthesis of photo-responsive polymer latexes that can be destabilized (leading to sedimentation) by only using UV irradiation (no addition of chemicals or change in the experimental conditions) and subsequently redispersed by stirring under visible light irradiation is described. The destabilization/redispersion mechanism relies on photoinduced trans-cis isomerization of the cationic diazene surfactant 2-(4-(4-butylphenyl)diazenylphenoxy)ethyltrimethylammonium bromide (C4AzoTAB) used in conjunction with the anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate. It is demonstrated that reversible destabilization can be achieved very rapidly (90 s residence time) employing continuous flow technology.

Exploitation of the Nanoreactor Concept for Efficient Synthesis of Multiblock Copolymers via MacroRAFT-Mediated Emulsion Polymerization.

Multiblock copolymers are a class of polymeric materials with a range of potential applications. We report here a strategy for the synthesis of multiblock copolymers based on methacrylates. Reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization is implemented as an emulsion polymerization to generate seed particles as nanoreactors, which can subsequently be employed in sequential RAFT emulsion polymerizations. The segregation effect allowed the synthesis of a high molar mass (>100,000 g·mol-1) decablock homopolymer at a high polymerization rate to an extent not previously achieved. A heptablock copolymer containing seven different 100 unit blocks was also successfully prepared, demonstrating how the strategy can be employed to precisely control the polymer composition at a level hitherto not accessible in environmentally friendly aqueous emulsion polymerization. Importantly, the methodology is a batch process without any intermediate purification steps, thus, rendering industrial scale up more feasible.