We
report the synthesis of a series of statistical terpolymer poly[(methyl
methacrylate)-co-lauryl methacrylate-co-2-((3,5-bis(4-carbamoyl-3-(trifluoromethyl)phenoxy)benzyloxy)carbonylamino)ethyl
methacrylate] (P(MMA-co-LMA-co-BMA))
by reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer polymerization
and their aggregation behaviors in solution. In toluene, the solution
behavior of terpolymer was controlled by the molar fractions of lauryl
methacrylate (LMA) and benzamide-containing methacrylate (BMA) in
the polymer, which increased solubility and promoted hydrogen bonding
between the primary aromatic amides, respectively. Temperature-dependent 1H NMR spectroscopy also indicated gradual dissociation of
the hydrogen bonds with increasing temperature. For the polymer containing
2.7 mol % of LMA and 2.7 mol % of BMA repeating units, we demonstrated
that dissolving the polymer in tetrahydrofuran as a good solvent and
switching the solvent with toluene produced polymer nanoparticles
with diameters of several tens of nanometers, as observed by dynamic
light scattering. Intramolecular hydrogen bonding was dominant and
induced the noncovalent chain collapse. When the temperature of the
particle dispersion in toluene at a concentration > 30 mg/mL was
increased
from RT to 50 °C, a significant increase in viscosity was observed.
This behavior was not observed in a toluene solution of poly(methyl
methacrylate), which showed decreased viscosity at a higher temperature.
The viscosity increase was accompanied by a decrease in the particle
size, and both were attributed to the dissociation of some intramolecular
hydrogen bonds within the particles, which can increase the number
of individual chains in toluene and result in more intermolecular
interactions.