A class of amphiphilic rod−rod diblock copolymers composed of hydrophilic π-conjugated poly(3triethylene glycol thiophene) (P3(TEG)T) and hydrophobic rigid-rod-like poly(phenyl isocyanide) (PPI) was synthesized in one pot via mechanistically distinct, sequential block copolymerization with Ni(dppp)Cl 2 as a single catalyst. The hydrophilic P3(TEG)T homopolymer self-assembled into well-defined nanoparticles in THF and methanol with different dimensions and exhibited orange-light emission in THF and red-light emission in methanol. Interestingly, the resultant P3(TEG)T-b-PPI block copolymers were found to self-assembled into various well-defined supramolecular structures, such as nanofibrils in THF, micelles in methanol, and vesicles in 3/2 mixtures of THF and methanol. The assemblies of these block copolymers in solutions exhibited unique light emissions with the emission color spanned widely from orange red to blue depending on self-assembled morphology and solvents used. White light emission can be readily achieved through the control of self-assembled morphologies by variation on the solvent composition. Moreover, the light emissions of the block copolymers were completely reversible, demonstrating the tunable emissions were indeed ascribed to the morphological transitions of the block copolymer.

In this article, the synthesis of a series of conjugated rod–rod block copolymers based on poly(3‐hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and poly(phenyl isocyanide) (PPI) building blocks in a single pot is presented. Ni‐catalyzed Grignard metathesis polymerization of 2,5‐dibromo‐3‐hexylthiophene and subsequent addition of 4‐isocyanobenzoyl‐2‐aminoisobutyric acid decyl ester in the presence of Ni(dppp)Cl2 as a single catalyst afford P3HT‐b‐PPI with tunable molecular weights and compositions. In solid state, microphase separation occurred as differential scanning calorimetric analysis of P3HT‐b‐PPI revealed two glass transition temperatures. In solutions, the copolymers can self‐assemble into spherical aggregates with P3HT core and PPI shell in tetrahydrofuran and exhibit amorphous state in CHCl3. However, atomic force microscopy revealed that the block copolymers self‐assemble into nanofibrils on the substrate. These unique features warrant the resultant conjugated rod–rod copolymers' potential study in organic photovoltaic and other electronic devices. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013, 51, 2939–2947

pH-and temperature-sensitive nanogels (NGs) were prepared from sodium alginate (SA) and N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM), as the sensitivity at pH 5.5 and 31 °C. SA was pH-modified with glutamic acid (Glu) and ethylenediamine (EDA). The products Glu-SA (Glu-modified SA) and EGSA (EDA-and Glu-modified SA) were characterized by ninhydrin color reaction, infrared spectroscopy, and zeta potential, and the best reactant ratio was selected. Moreover, temperature-sensitive, pH-sensitive EGSA-NGs possessing a semiinterpenetrating network structure were prepared by radical polymerization using N-isopropylacrylamide. The morphology of EGSA-NGs was characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The cytotoxicity test shows the low cytotoxicity and high biocompatibility of the NGs. The newly prepared NGs were also subjected to pH-sensitive temperature-sensitive in vitro drug-loading and drug-release experiments. The pH-sensitive and temperature-sensitive experiments showed that the particle size of EGSA-NGs was reduced at pH 5.5 and above 31 °C. The drugloading and drug-release experiments also confirmed this finding, indicating that the newly synthesized NGs could release the drug according to the environmental changes. Therefore, the material has potential application value in solid tumor targeted therapy.

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