Polyelectrolyte macromonomers

Polyelectrolyte macromonomers 41, 44, 47 and 48 [120, 122, 126, 127] have been also prepared and applied to the dispersion copolymerizations to produce polymeric particles covered with polyelectrolyte chains. Evidently, the dependence of the conformational properties of polyelectrolyte brush chains attached... 

Recently, Muller et al. studied block and graft copolymers poly(n-butyl acrylate)-Wocfc/gra/f-poly(acrylic acid), PnBA-h/g-PAA [136]. The non-polar block/backbone has a low glass transition temperature, thus dynamic micelles were expected the ionic block/side-chains are weak anionic polyelectrolytes, thus a strong dependence of micellization on pH could be expected. The graft copolymers were synthesized by ATRP copolymerization of poly(-ferf-butyl acrylate) macromonomers with n-butyl acrylate, followed by hydrolysis of the terf-butyl acrylate side-chains to PAA [137]. The length of the PAA side chains was varied from 20 to 85 monomer units and their number from 1.5 to 10, whereas the length of the backbone was kept at ca. 130 units. 

Zeng F, Shen Y, Zhu S, Pelton R. (2000) Synthesis and Characterization of Comb-Branched Polyelectrolytes. 1. Preparation of Cationic Macromonomer of 2-(Dimethylamino)ethyl Methacrylate by Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization. Macromolecules 33 1628-1635. 

In the following text we focus on cylindrical brushes prepared by polymerization of macromonomers, in particular on two systems. First, cylindrical brushes consisting of poly-2-vinylpyridine side chains and a poly-methacrylic main chain are discussed these were converted into cationic polyelectrolyte brushes by quaternization of the pyridine units by alkyl halides. The second system comprises sulfonated anionic cylindrical brushes, i.e. polymacromonomers with polystyrene side and main chains and polymacromonomers with polymethacrylic main and polymethacrylic acid side chains. 

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