Digital transformation has affected almost any part of our lives. Chemistry, especially in research and development, has, compared to other science domains, only very recently begun to adopt principles of...

A 2D laser lithography protocol for controlled grafting of polymer brushes in a single-step is presented. A series of polyacrylates were grafted from silicon substrates via laser-induced copper-mediated radical polymerization. Film thicknesses up to 39 nm were reached within 125 μs of exposure to UV laser light (351 nm). Successful block copolymerization underpinned the controlled nature of the grafting methodology. The resolution of a small structure of grafted PHEA reached 270 μm and was limited by the type of laser used in the study. Further, a checkerboard pattern of PtBA and POEGA was produced and imaged via time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS).

Using a log-log regression, the propagation rate coefficients for radical polymerization are correlated with basic molecular properties. These are either available from literature, or from simple and non-time-consuming calculations. Parameters...

Thermoresponsive star polymers were synthesized by copolymerization of water-soluble acrylate monomers, di(ethylene glycol) ethyl ether acrylate (DEGA) and 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate (HEA), in a core-first approach using a modified β-cyclodextrin multifunctional initiator and photo-mediated atom transfer radical polymerization (photoATRP). The controlled character of the polymerization, as well as the formation of statistical star copolymers, was demonstrated. The lower critical solution temperature (LCST) is conveniently tuned by varying the ratio of the two hydrophilic monomers. The cyclodextrin core appears to lead to a lowering of the LCST, and introduction of a hydrophobic pocket via star block copolymer synthesis allowed for further tunability of the cloud point temperature. In the final step, we demonstrate that the star polymers made in here can be used as facile carriers and solubilizers for hydrophobic compounds, highlighting their applicability in the biomedical field.

Using a log-log regression, the propagation rate coefficients for radical polymerization are correlated with basic molecular properties. These are either available from literature, or from simple and non-time-consuming calculations. Parameters under consideration are molecular weights, boiling points or dipolar moments. The model brings acrylates and methacrylates with linear and branched structures, and monomers that are known to be influenced strongly by H-bonding in line with each other, allowing to fit all data in a single approach. The model also successfully correlates monomers such as styrene and acrylonitrile successfully. Both absolute rate coefficients, as well as Arrhenius activation parameters can be described with high accuracy. With the presented model it is thus possible to describe practically all monomers for which kinetic data is available simultaneously and to carry out predictions for monomers for which no experimental data exist.