TY - JOUR A1 - Wang, Peixi A1 - Geiger, Christina A1 - Kreuzer, Lucas A1 - Widmann, Tobias A1 - Reitenbach, Julija A1 - Liang, Suzhe A1 - Cubitt, Robert A1 - Henschel, Cristiane A1 - Laschewsky, André A1 - Papadakis, Christine M. A1 - Müller-Buschbaum, Peter T1 - Poly(sulfobetaine)-based diblock copolymer thin films in water/acetone atmosphere: modulation of water hydration and co-nonsolvency-triggered film contraction JF - Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids N2 - The water swelling and subsequent solvent exchange including co-nonsolvency behavior of thin films of a doubly thermo-responsive diblock copolymer (DBC) are studied viaspectral reflectance, time-of-flight neutron reflectometry, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The DBC consists of a thermo-responsive zwitterionic (poly(4-((3-methacrylamidopropyl) dimethylammonio) butane-1-sulfonate)) (PSBP) block, featuring an upper critical solution temperature transition in aqueous media but being insoluble in acetone, and a nonionic poly(N-isopropylmethacrylamide) (PNIPMAM) block, featuring a lower critical solution temperature transition in water, while being soluble in acetone. Homogeneous DBC films of 50-100 nm thickness are first swollen in saturated water vapor (H2OorD2O), before they are subjected to a contraction process by exposure to mixed saturated water/acetone vapor (H2OorD2O/acetone-d6 = 9:1 v/v). The affinity of the DBC film toward H2O is stronger than for D2O, as inferred from the higher film thickness in the swollen state and the higher absorbed water content, thus revealing a pronounced isotope sensitivity. During the co-solvent-induced switching by mixed water/acetone vapor, a two-step film contraction is observed, which is attributed to the delayed expulsion of water molecules and uptake of acetone molecules. The swelling kinetics are compared for both mixed vapors (H2O/acetone-d6 and D2O/acetone-d6) and with those of the related homopolymer films. Moreover, the concomitant variations of the local environment around the hydrophilic groups located in the PSBP and PNIPMAM blocks are followed. The first contraction step turns out to be dominated by the behavior of the PSBP block, where as the second one is dominated by the PNIPMAM block. The unusual swelling and contraction behavior of the latter block is attributed to its co-nonsolvency behavior. Furthermore, we observe cooperative hydration effects in the DBC films, that is, both polymer blocks influence each other's solvation behavior. Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.langmuir.2c00451 SN - 0743-7463 SN - 1520-5827 VL - 38 IS - 22 SP - 6934 EP - 6948 PB - American Chemical Society CY - Washington ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kreuzer, Lucas A1 - Widmann, Tobias A1 - Geiger, Christina A1 - Wang, Peixi A1 - Vagias, Apostolos N. A1 - Heger, Julian Eliah A1 - Haese, Martin A1 - Hildebrand, Viet A1 - Laschewsky, André A1 - Papadakis, Christine M. A1 - Müller-Buschbaum, Peter T1 - Salt-dependent phase transition behavior of doubly thermoresponsive poly(sulfobetaine)-based diblock copolymer thin films JF - Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids / American Chemical Society N2 - The water vapor-induced swelling, as well as subsequent phase-transition kinetics, of thin films of a diblock copolymer (DBC) loaded with different amounts of the salt NaBr, is investigated in situ. In dilute aqueous solution, the DBC features an orthogonally thermoresponsive behavior. It consists of a zwitterionic poly(sulfobetaine) block, namely, poly(4-(N-(3'-methacrylamidopropyl)-N, N-dimethylammonio) butane-1-sulfonate) (PSBP), showing an upper critical solution temperature, and a nonionic block, namely, poly(N-isopropylmethacrylamide) (PNIPMAM), exhibiting a lower critical solution temperature. The swelling kinetics in D2O vapor at 15 degrees C and the phase transition kinetics upon heating the swollen film to 60 degrees C and cooling back to 15 degrees C are followed with simultaneous time-of-flight neutron reflectometry and spectral reflectance measurements. These are complemented by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The collapse temperature of PNIPMAM and the swelling temperature of PSBP are found at lower temperatures than in aqueous solution, which is attributed to the high polymer concentration in the thin-film geometry. Upon inclusion of sub-stoichiometric amounts (relative to the monomer units) of NaBr in the films, the water incorporation is significantly increased. This increase is mainly attributed to a salting-in effect on the zwitterionic PSBP block. Whereas the addition of NaBr notably shifts the swelling temperature of PSBP to lower temperatures, the collapse temperature of PNIPMAM remains unaffected by the presence of salt in the films. Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.langmuir.1c01342 SN - 0743-7463 SN - 1520-5827 VL - 37 IS - 30 SP - 9179 EP - 9191 PB - American Chemical Society CY - Washington ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Geiger, Christina A1 - Reitenbach, Julija A1 - Henschel, Cristiane A1 - Kreuzer, Lucas A1 - Widmann, Tobias A1 - Wang, Peixi A1 - Mangiapia, Gaetano A1 - Moulin, Jean-François A1 - Papadakis, Christine M. A1 - Laschewsky, André A1 - Müller-Buschbaum, Peter T1 - Ternary nanoswitches realized with multiresponsive PMMA-b-PNIPMAM films in mixed water/acetone vapor atmospheres JF - Advanced engineering materials N2 - To systematically add functionality to nanoscale polymer switches, an understanding of their responsive behavior is crucial. Herein, solvent vapor stimuli are applied to thin films of a diblock copolymer consisting of a short poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) block and a long poly(N-isopropylmethacrylamide) (PNIPMAM) block for realizing ternary nanoswitches. Three significantly distinct film states are successfully implemented by the combination of amphiphilicity and co-nonsolvency effect. The exposure of the thin films to nitrogen, pure water vapor, and mixed water/acetone (90 vol%/10 vol%) vapor switches the films from a dried to a hydrated (solvated and swollen) and a water/acetone-exchanged (solvated and contracted) equilibrium state. These three states have distinctly different film thicknesses and solvent contents, which act as switch positions "off," "on," and "standby." For understanding the switching process, time-of-flight neutron reflectometry (ToF-NR) and spectral reflectance (SR) studies of the swelling and dehydration process are complemented by information on the local solvation of functional groups probed with Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. An accelerated responsive behavior beyond a minimum hydration/solvation level is attributed to the fast build-up and depletion of the hydration shell of PNIPMAM, caused by its hydrophobic moieties promoting a cooperative hydration character. KW - co-nonsolvency KW - diblock copolymers KW - nanoswitches KW - neutron reflectometry KW - thin films Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/adem.202100191 SN - 1438-1656 SN - 1527-2648 VL - 23 IS - 11 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim ER -