Solution Assembly and Behavior of Modular RAFT Block Polyelectrolytes

ORAL

Abstract

The advancement of ion-containing synthetic polymers towards functional applications relies on elucidating structure-property relationships that often involve interplay between chemically–driven and electrostatic interactions. To this end, the materials dynamics and temporal evolution of polyelectrolyte complex (PEC) assemblies are not well understood, especially non-canonical compared to non-charged counterparts. Herein, we systematically explored PECs by utilizing a RAFT block polymer platform. This approach allowed us to tune polymer microstructure and functionalize labile chain ends, enabling control of assembly size and the ability to monitor in situ diffusivity. Complementary scattering and spectroscopy provided structural information on micellar PEC formation as a function of polymer combination, concentration, and salt. These findings highlight how the rational pairing of well-defined, evolving PECs can reveal path-dependent processing pathways over relevant length- and time-scales, thereby guiding future prediction capabilities and accelerating complex materials development for end-use technologies.

*This work is supported by the U.S. Department of Commerce, NIST through the Center for Hierarchical Materials Design (CHiMaD) under financial assistant award 70NANB14H012.

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Presenters

  • Jeffrey Ting

    • Univ of Chicago
    • Institute for Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago

Authors

  • Jeffrey Ting

    • Univ of Chicago
    • Institute for Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago

  • Hao Wu

    • Univ of Chicago
    • Institute for Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago

  • Olivia Werba

    • Institute for Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago
    • Univ of Chicago

  • Deborah Schneiderman

    • Institute for Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago

  • Abraham Herzog-Arbeitman

    • Department of Chemistry, University of Chicago

  • Joseph Mitchell

    • Institute for Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago

  • Samanvaya Srivastava

    • Univ of California, Los Angeles
    • Institute for Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago
    • Institute of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago
    • Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California Los Angeles
    • Institute for Molecular Engineering, Univ of Chicago
    • University of California, Los Angeles

  • Matthew Tirrell

    • Univ of Chicago
    • Institute for Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago
    • Institute of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago
    • IME, University of Chicago
    • Institute for Molecular Engineering, Univ of Chicago
    • The University of Chicago