Hydrogen Bonding-Mediated Phase Transition of Polystyrene and Polyhydroxystyrene Bottlebrush Block Copolymers with Polyethylene Glycol

Abstract

A simple strategy was explored to systematically control the phase transition of an amphiphilic bottlebrush block copolymer (AmBBCP), polyRnorbornene-graft-styrene)-block-(norbornene-graft-hydrox- ystyrene)], with polymeric additives, such as poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether (mPEG), poly(2-vinylpyridine) (P2VP), and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA). The precursor polymers, poly[(norbornene-graft-styrene)-block-(norbornene-graft-4-tert-butoxystyrene)], were synthesized by sequential ring-opening metathesis polymerization of omega-end-norbornyl polystyrene and poly(4-tert-butoxystyrene). Acid hydrolysis of the tert-butyl groups in the precursor resulted in the AmBBCP with an ultrahigh molecular weight (similar to 2880 kDa) and relatively low dispersity (similar to 4.21). The disordered structures of neat AmBBCP were transformed to ordered lamellae by solvothermal annealing. AmBBCP and mPEG blended well because of H-bonding, maintaining well-ordered lamellae up to 40 wt % mPEG. The phase transition from ordered to disordered state occurred when increasing more than SO wt %. The AmBBCP blended with P2VP and PMMA was compared. The effect of mPEG on phase transition, domain size, and refractive index and the photonic properties were determined.