Asymmetric star polymers

Hadjichristidis, N, Pispas, S.t Pitsikalis, MIatrou, H Vlahos, C. Asymmetric Star Polymers Synthesis and Properties, VoL 142, pp, 71428. 

The synthesis and the properties, both in bulk and in solution, of asymmetric star polymers are reviewed. Asymmetry is introduced when arms of different molecular weight, chemical nature or topology are incorporated into the same molecule. The phase separation, aggregation phenomena, dilute solution properties etc. are examined from a theoretical and experimental point of view. Recent applications of these materials show their importance in modern technologies. 

Asymmetric star polymers are megamolecules [1] emanating from a central core. In contrast to the symmetric stars very little was known, until recently, about the properties of the asymmetric stars. This was due to the difficulties associated with the synthesis of well-defined architectures of this class of polymeric materials. The synthesis, solution and bulk properties, experimental and theoretical, of the following categories of asymmetric stars will be considered in this review ... 

Asymmetric PS stars of the type (PSA)n(PSB)n were also prepared by the divinyl-benzene (DVB) method [9]. Living PS chains, prepared by sec-BuLi initiation, were reacted with a small amount of DVB producing star homopolymers. The DVB core of the stars contains active anions which, if no accidental deactivation occurs, are equal to the number of the arms that have been linked to this core. These active sites are available for the polymerization of an additional quantity of monomer. Consequently further addition of styrene produced asymmetric star polymers... 

Relatively few theoretical studies have been devoted to the conformational characteristics of asymmetric star polymers in solution. Vlahos et al. [63] studied the conformational properties of AnBm miktoarm copolymers in different solvents. Analytical expressions of various conformational averages were obtained from renormalization group calculations at the critical dimensionality d=4 up to the first order of the interaction parameters uA> uB> and uAB between segments of the same or different kind, among them the radii of gyration of the two homopolymer parts < S > (k=An or Bm) and the whole miktoarm chain < /im > > the mean square distance between the centers of mass of the two homopolymer parts A and B < > and the mean square distance between the center of... 

Although the synthesis of asymmetric star polymers was rather recently achieved, several efforts have been made to use these polymers for specific applications. An increased number of patents have appeared in recent years. Sometimes ill-defined and not well characterized polymers were used in these studies. 

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