Copolymers of polystyrene and poly(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate) designed as building blocks for nanoreactors

• Grant number: 17/02463-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: July 01, 2017
• End date: February 28, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Materials and Metallurgical Engineering - Nonmetallic Materials
• Principal Investigator: Fábio Herbst Florenzano
• Grantee: Carolina da Silva Melo
• Host Institution: Escola de Engenharia de Lorena (EEL). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Lorena , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 13/08166-5 - Interfacial chemistry: drugs, peptides and ezymes interactions with membrane models, AP.TEM

Abstract

Nanoreactors are nanometric vesicles. Their membrane is made of amphiphilic copolymers, what brings new opportunities for Polymer Synthesis, particularly in Brazil. New radical polymerization techniques such as RDRP allow one to synthesize amphiphilic block copolymers in a much easier way than two decades ago. Those copolymers can be used as building block for nanoreactors. In this work, new block copolymers with potential to form polymeric vesicles (polymersomes) will be developed. They are the first step to new nanoreactor systems be achieved. In order to reach this goal, RAFT will be the technique of choice and styrene and 2-(dimethylamino)-ethyl methacrylate (MAEMA) are to be used as monomers for the apolar and polar blocks, respectively. The materials will be characterized by SEC, NMR and other analytical tools. The vesicle formation will be carried out, initially, by direct compatible solvent injection and further DLS analysis. Due to PDMAEMA, the vesicles are expected to present temperature response and positive surface charge. Different conditions are to be tested in order to associate the materials molecular structure to the behavior of the vesicles, in particular size and LCST. (AU)