Synthesis, morphology, and sensory applications of multifunctional rod-coil-coil triblock copolymers and their electrospun nanofibers

ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2012 Jul 25;4(7):3387-95. doi: 10.1021/am300315v. Epub 2012 Jul 2.

Abstract

We report the synthesis, morphology, and applications of conjugated rod-coil-coil triblock copolymers, polyfluorene-block-poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-block-poly(N-methylolacrylamide) (PF-b-PNIPAAm-b-PNMA), prepared by atom transfer radical polymerization first and followed by click coupling reaction. The blocks of PF, PNIPAAm, and PNMA were designed for fluorescent probing, hydrophilic thermo-responsive and chemically cross-linking, respectively. In the following, the electrospun (ES) nanofibers of PF-b-PNIPAAm-b-PNMA were prepared in pure water using a single-capillary spinneret. The SAXS and TEM results suggested the lamellar structure of the PF-b-PNIPAAm-b-PNMA along the fiber axis. These obtained nanofibers showed outstanding wettability and dimension stability in the aqueous solution, and resulted in a reversible on/off transition on photoluminescence as the temperatures varied. Furthermore, the high surface/volume ratio of the ES nanofibers efficiently enhanced the temperature-sensitivity and responsive speed compared to those of the drop-cast film. The results indicated that the ES nanofibers of the conjugated rod-coil block copolymers would have potential applications for multifunctional sensory devices.

MeSH terms

  • Acrylamides / chemistry
  • Acrylic Resins / chemistry
  • Biosensing Techniques / instrumentation
  • Electroplating
  • Nanofibers / chemistry*
  • Polymerization
  • Polymers / chemical synthesis*
  • Polymers / chemistry
  • Temperature

Substances

  • Acrylamides
  • Acrylic Resins
  • Polymers
  • poly-N-isopropylacrylamide
  • N-methylolacrylamide