Thermochimica Acta, Vol.638, 89-95, 2016
Thermodynamic characterization of poly(4-hydroxystyrene)-g-[poly(propyleneoxide-b-ethylene oxide)] thermoresponsive brush copolymers
Thermoresponsive brush copolymers with poly(4-hydroxystyrene) backbones and poly(propyleneoxide-b-ethylene oxide) side chains were synthesized via a "grafting from" technique. The thermoresponsive behavior of four samples with different compositions has been investigated in dilute aqueous solutions by high-accuracy differential scanning calorimetry measurements. Thermal transitions involving both core contraction and intermolecular aggregation have been observed for all the copolymers in this study. The temperature where these thermal transitions occur is strongly associated to the architecture and chemical composition of the copolymers, allowing for fine-tuning of their thermoresponsiveness in a wide range of temperatures. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.