Ring-opening Metathesis Polymerization for the Creation of Responsive Colloids and Surfaces

Abstract

Ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) is a well-controlled living polymerization method and has been widely used to synthesize various polymer materials. This thesis investigates the use of ROMP in the creation of responsive materials, including photonic polymer colloids and surface-immobilized polymer brushes.

In Chapter 1, an introduction is provided to the fundamental concepts relevant to this thesis, including an overview of ROMP, the applications of ROMP for synthesizing polymers with photonic crystal properties, photonic polymer particles, surface-tethered polymer brushes, and surface-initiated ROMP.

In Chapter 2, photonic ellipsoidal particles are created from the self-assembly of dendronized bottlebrush block copolymers (den-BBCPs), which are synthesized by ROMP. The surface energy of these polymer particles is precisely controlled by the design of surfactants that have selective affinity to each block of den-BBCPs. These ellipsoidal particles can be further functionalized with magnetic nanoparticles, resulting in magnetically switchable structural color.

In Chapter 3, Janus photonic particles are prepared to expand the functionality of the previous photonic ellipsoidal particles. Poly(4-vinylpyridine)-co-styrene is used as the second phase of the Janus particle, allowing for the functionalization with acidic magnetic nanoparticles and antibodies. The antibodies-functionalized particles can be used for the detection of Salmonella bacteria through a novel agglutination assay.

In Chapter 4, a new strategy, termed grafting-to & from, is developed for growing thick and stable polymer brushes through surface-initiated ROMP. This strategy combines the advantages of the traditional grafting-to and grafting-from methods and is used to grow responsive polymer brushes on a glass surface, creating a polymer coating that is responsive to various chemical-warfare-agents, including Sarin and Mustard Gas.

In Chapter 5, a sterically hindered cyclobutene is synthesized as a potential ROMP monomer and its polymerization reactivity is explored. This cyclobutene is further epoxidated to give a highly reactive cyclobutane epoxide, of which the reactivities at high temperature are investigated.