@article{KyriakosPhilippLinetal.2016, author = {Kyriakos, Konstantinos and Philipp, Martine and Lin, Che-Hung and Dyakonova, Margarita and Vishnevetskaya, Natalya and Grillo, Isabelle and Zaccone, Alessio and Miasnikova, Anna and Laschewsky, Andre and M{\"u}ller-Buschbaum, Peter and Papadakis, Christine M.}, title = {Quantifying the Interactions in the Aggregation of Thermoresponsive Polymers: The Effect of Cononsolvency}, series = {Macromolecular rapid communications}, volume = {37}, journal = {Macromolecular rapid communications}, publisher = {Wiley-VCH}, address = {Weinheim}, issn = {1022-1336}, doi = {10.1002/marc.201500583}, pages = {420 -- 425}, year = {2016}, abstract = {The aggregation kinetics of thermoresponsive core-shell micelles with a poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) shell in pure water or in mixtures of water with the cosolvents methanol or ethanol at mole fractions of 5\% is investigated during a temperature jump across the respective cloud point. Characteristically, these mixtures give rise to cononsolvency behavior. At the cloud point, aggregates are formed, and their growth is followed with time-resolved small-angle neutron scattering. Using the reversible association model, the interaction potential between the aggregates is determined from their growth rate in dependence on the cosolvents. The effect of the cosolvent is attributed to the interaction potential on the structured layer of hydration water around the aggregates. It is surmised that the latter is perturbed by the cosolvent and thus the residual repulsive hydration force between the aggregates is reduced. The larger the molar volume of the cosolvent, the more pronounced is the effect. This framework provides a molecular-level understanding of solvent-mediated effective interactions in polymer solutions and new opportunities for the rational control of self-assembly in complex soft matter systems.}, language = {en} } @article{HuLinMetwallietal.2023, author = {Hu, Neng and Lin, Li and Metwalli, Ezzeldin and Bießmann, Lorenz and Philipp, Martine and Hildebrand, Viet and Laschewsky, Andr{\´e} and Papadakis, Christine M. and Cubitt, Robert and Zhong, Qi and M{\"u}ller-Buschbaum, Peter}, title = {Kinetics of water transfer between the LCST and UCST thermoresponsive blocks in diblock copolymer thin films monitored by in situ neutron reflectivity}, series = {Advanced materials interfaces}, volume = {10}, journal = {Advanced materials interfaces}, number = {3}, publisher = {Wiley-VCH}, address = {Weinheim}, issn = {2196-7350}, doi = {10.1002/admi.202201913}, pages = {11}, year = {2023}, abstract = {The kinetics of water transfer between the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) and upper critical solution temperature (UCST) thermoresponsive blocks in about 10 nm thin films of a diblock copolymer is monitored by in situ neutron reflectivity. The UCST-exhibiting block in the copolymer consists of the zwitterionic poly(4((3-methacrylamidopropyl)dimethylammonio)butane-1-sulfonate), abbreviated as PSBP. The LCST-exhibiting block consists of the nonionic poly(N-isopropylacrylamide), abbreviated as PNIPAM. The as-prepared PSBP80-b-PNIPAM(400) films feature a three-layer structure, i.e., PNIPAM, mixed PNIPAM and PSBP, and PSBP. Both blocks have similar transition temperatures (TTs), namely around 32 degrees C for PNIPAM, and around 35 degrees C for PSBP, and with a two-step heating protocol (20 degrees C to 40 degrees C and 40 degrees C to 80 degrees C), both TTs are passed. The response to such a thermal stimulus turns out to be complex. Besides a three-step process (shrinkage, rearrangement, and reswelling), a continuous transfer of D2O from the PNIPAM to the PSBP block is observed. Due to the existence of both, LCST and UCST blocks in the PSBP80-b-PNIPAM(400 )film, the water transfer from the contracting PNIPAM, and mixed layers to the expanding PSBP layer occurs. Thus, the hydration kinetics and thermal response differ markedly from a thermoresponsive polymer film with a single LCST transition.}, language = {en} } @article{NieuwenhuisZhongMetwallietal.2019, author = {Nieuwenhuis, Sophie and Zhong, Qi and Metwalli, Ezzeldin and Biessmann, Lorenz and Philipp, Martine and Miasnikova, Anna and Laschewsky, Andre and Papadakis, Christine M. and Cubitt, Robert and Wang, Jiping and M{\"u}ller-Buschbaum, Peter}, title = {Hydration and Dehydration Kinetics: Comparison between Poly(N-isopropyl methacrylamide) and Poly(methoxy diethylene glycol acrylate) Films}, series = {Langmuir}, volume = {35}, journal = {Langmuir}, number = {24}, publisher = {American Chemical Society}, address = {Washington}, issn = {0743-7463}, doi = {10.1021/acs.langmuir.9b00535}, pages = {7691 -- 7702}, year = {2019}, abstract = {Thermoresponsive films of poly(N-isopropyl methacrylamide) (PNIPMAM) and poly(methoxy diethylene glycol acrylate) (PMDEGA) are compared with respect to their hydration and dehydration kinetics using in situ neutron reflectivity. Both as-prepared films present a homogeneous single-layer structure and have similar transition temperatures of the lower critical solution temperature type (TT, PNIPMAM 38 degrees C and PMDEGA 41 degrees C). After hydration in unsaturated D2O vapor at 23 degrees C, a D2O enrichment layer is observed in PNIPMAM films adjacent to the Si substrate. In contrast, two enrichment layers are present in PMDEGA films (close to the vapor interface and the Si substrate). PNIPMAM films exhibit a higher hydration capability, ascribed to having both donor (N-H) and acceptor (C=O) units for hydrogen bonds. "While the swelling of the PMDEGA films is mainly caused by the increase of the enrichment layers, the thickness of the entire PNIPMAM films increases with time. The observed longer relaxation time for swelling of PNIPMAM films is attributed to the much higher glass transition temperature of PNIPMAM. When dehydrating both films by increasing the temperature above the TT, they react with a complex response consisting of three stages (shrinkage, rearrangement, and reswelling). PNIPMAM films respond faster than PMDEGA films. After dehydration, both films still contain a large amount of D2O, and no completely dry film state is reached for a temperature above their TTs.}, language = {en} } @article{ZhongMiMetwallietal.2018, author = {Zhong, Qi and Mi, Lei and Metwalli, Ezzeldin and Biessmann, Lorenz and Philipp, Martine and Miasnikova, Anna and Laschewsky, Andre and Papadakis, Christine M. and Cubitt, Robert and Schwartzkopf, Matthias and Roth, Stephan V. and Wang, Jiping and M{\"u}ller-Buschbaum, Peter}, title = {Effect of chain architecture on the swelling and thermal response of star-shaped thermo-responsive (poly(methoxy diethylene glycol acrylate)-block-polystyrene)(3) block copolymer films}, series = {Soft matter}, volume = {14}, journal = {Soft matter}, number = {31}, publisher = {Royal Society of Chemistry}, address = {Cambridge}, issn = {1744-683X}, doi = {10.1039/c8sm00965a}, pages = {6582 -- 6594}, year = {2018}, abstract = {The effect of chain architecture on the swelling and thermal response of thin films obtained from an amphiphilic three-arm star-shaped thermo-responsive block copolymer poly(methoxy diethylene glycol acrylate)-block-polystyrene ((PMDEGA-b-PS)(3)) is investigated by in situ neutron reflectivity (NR) measurements. The PMDEGA and PS blocks are micro-phase separated with randomly distributed PS nanodomains. The (PMDEGA-b-PS)(3) films show a transition temperature (TT) at 33 degrees C in white light interferometry. The swelling capability of the (PMDEGA-b-PS)(3) films in a D2O vapor atmosphere is better than that of films from linear PS-b-PMDEGA-b-PS triblock copolymers, which can be attributed to the hydrophilic end groups and limited size of the PS blocks in (PMDEGA-b-PS)(3). However, the swelling kinetics of the as-prepared (PMDEGA-b-PS)(3) films and the response of the swollen film to a temperature change above the TT are significantly slower than that in the PS-b-PMDEGA-b-PS films, which may be related to the conformation restriction by the star-shape. Unlike in the PS-b-PMDEGA-b-PS films, the amount of residual D2O in the collapsed (PMDEGA-b-PS)(3) films depends on the final temperature. It decreases from (9.7 +/- 0.3)\% to (7.0 +/- 0.3)\% or (6.0 +/- 0.3)\% when the final temperatures are set to 35 degrees C, 45 degrees C and 50 degrees C, respectively. This temperature-dependent reduction of embedded D2O originates from the hindrance of chain conformation from the star-shaped chain architecture.}, language = {en} } @article{KyriakosPhilippAdelsbergeretal.2014, author = {Kyriakos, Konstantinos and Philipp, Martine and Adelsberger, Joseph and Jaksch, Sebastian and Berezkin, Anatoly V. and Lugo, Dersy M. and Richtering, Walter and Grillo, Isabelle and Miasnikova, Anna and Laschewsky, Andr{\´e} and M{\"u}ller-Buschbaum, Peter and Papadakis, Christine M.}, title = {Cononsolvency of water/methanol mixtures for PNIPAM and PS-b-PNIPAM: pathway of aggregate formation investigated using time-resolved SANS}, series = {Macromolecules : a publication of the American Chemical Society}, volume = {47}, journal = {Macromolecules : a publication of the American Chemical Society}, number = {19}, publisher = {American Chemical Society}, address = {Washington}, issn = {0024-9297}, doi = {10.1021/ma501434e}, pages = {6867 -- 6879}, year = {2014}, abstract = {We investigate the cononsolvency effect of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) in mixtures of water and methanol. Two systems are studied: micellar solutions of polystyrene-b-poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PS-b-PNIPAM) diblock copolymers and, as a reference, solutions of PNIPAM homopolymers, both at a concentration of 20 mg/mL in DO. Using a stopped-flow instrument, fully deuterated methanol was rapidly added to these solutions at volume fractions between 10 and 20\%. Time-resolved turbidimetry revealed aggregate formation within 10-100 s. The structural changes on mesoscopic length scales were followed by time-resolved small-angle neutron scattering (TR-SANS) with a time resolution of 0.1 s. In both systems, the pathway of the aggregation depends on the content of deuterated methanol; however, it is fundamentally different for homopolymer and diblock copolymer solutions: In the former, very large aggregates (>150 nm) are formed within the dead time of the setup, gradient appears at their surface in the late stages. In contrast, the growth of the aggregates in the latter system features different regimes, and the final aggregate size is 50 nm, thus much smaller than for the homopolymer. For the diblock copolymer, the time dependence of the aggregate radius can be described by two models: In the initial stage, the diffusion-limited coalescence model describes the data well; however, the resulting coalescence time is unreasonably high. In the late stage, a logarithmic coalescence model based on an energy barrier which is proportional to the aggregate radius is successfully applied. and a concentration}, language = {en} }