Abstract
In this paper a fluorine-containing monomer, 2-fluroroethyl methacrylate (2FEMA) was used to synthesize the linear triblock terpolymer poly(n-butyl methacrylate)-poly(methyl methacrylate)-poly(2-fluoroethyl methacrylate) (PnBMA-PMMA-P2FEMA). A kinetic study of the homopolymerization of 2FEMA by reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization showed that it demonstrates living character and produces well defined polymers with reasonably narrow polydispersities (~1.30). Triblock terpolymers were prepared sequentially using a purified Macro-CTA at 70 oC, resulting in final terpolymers with high Dp for each block (>150) and with polydispersities between 1.6 and 2.1. The structure and molecular weights of the resultant PnBMA-PMMA-P2FEMA triblock terpolymers were characterized via 1H NMR, 19F NMR, and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). Self-assembly of these polymers was carried out in a selective solvent and the micellar aggregates (MAs) thereby formed were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS). It was confirmed from SEM that these copolymers could directly self-organize into large compound micelles in tetrahydrofuran/methanol with different diameters, depending on polymer composition.
