A novel conducting amphiphilic diblock copolymer containing regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene)

• Published in: Macromolecular research Vol. 22; no. 1; pp. 85 - 91
• Main Authors: Nguyen, Ha Tran, Dong, Bien Che, Nguyen, Nieu Huu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 2014; 한국고분자학회
• Subjects: Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Complex Fluids and Microfluidics; Nanochemistry; Nanotechnology; Physical Chemistry; Polymer Sciences; Soft and Granular Matter; 고분자공학; atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP); poly(3-hexylthiophene); poly(methyl methacrylate); poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate); Grignard metathesis (GRIM)
• ISSN: 1598-5032; 2092-7673
• DOI: 10.1007/s13233-014-2012-2

Amphiphilic rod-coil diblock copolymers combining the conductive features of a conjugated polymer and nanoscale morphologies arising from micro-phase separation of dissimilar blocks are attractive as potential materials for electronic applications. The synthesis and properties are reported for a novel amphiphilic diblock copolymer containing a block of regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and poly(methyl methacrylate- random -2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (P(MMA- r -HEMA)) as the hydrophilic block. Well-defined rod-coil P3HT- b -P(MMA- r -HEMA) amphiphilic diblock copolymers with molar masses of around 11,000 and low molar mass dispersities ( Đ M ) below 1.5 were successfully synthesized via the combination of quasi-living Grignard metathesis (GRIM) polymerization and atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). P3HT was first obtained in a regioregular form with an average molecular weight of around 7,200 g/mol and Đ M below 1.3. Post-polymerization end-group modifications of the asobtained P3HT were then successfully realized to give a macroinitiator for the ATRP of MMA and HEMA co-monomers, resulting in the P3HT- b -P(MMA- r -HEMA) diblock copolymers. The structure and properties of the resulting diblock copolymers were characterized by proton nuclear magnetic resonance ( 1 H NMR), gel permeation chromatography (GPC), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, UV-visible spectroscopy and modulated differential scanning calorimetry (MDSC).