| Facile fabrication of well-defined stimuli-responsive functional nanomaterials is of primary importance in the nano-related field. Self assembly of amphiphilic block copolymers has been extensively studied in recent decades. As comparison, double-hydrophilic block copolymers provide enhanced structural versatility and additional aggregation modes. However, the related studies are clearly far from enough. This thesis describes a new type of aldehyde-functionalized thermoresponsive comb-shaped copolymers. For this end, a 3-(4-formylphenoxy)-2-hydroxypropyl methacrylate (FPHPMA) monomer was synthesized by ring opening reaction of glycidyl methacrylate with 4-hydroxybenzaldehyble. Well-defined aldehyde-functionalized copolymers with poly(ethylene glycol) monomethacrylate (PEGMA) were synthesized via reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer radical polymerization or RAFT polymerization under a mild visible light radiation at 25 oC. Kinetic studies indicated the well-controlled and living behavior of this RAFT polymerization. These characters facilitate the synthesis of the targeted P(FPHPMA-ran-PEGMA) and P(FPHPMA-ran-PEGMA)-b-PPEGMA copolymers. These comb-shaped copolymers have reversible thermo-responsive behavior. The critical phase transition temperature, e.g. cloud point and critical temperature of the formation of dehydrated micelles may be well tuned by adjusting the composition of this copolymers. The molecular weight may strongly influence the aggregation behaviors but does not affect these critical temperature. Both critical temperatures and aggregation behavior was strongly dependent on the sequence of these copolymer. These thermoresponsive copolymer micelles may well stabilized by core crosslinking of diamine and dihydrazide to form temperature-induced switchable nanoparticles. These stabilized micelles have excellent dynamic character that may be well tuned by the solution pH. These novel properties have potential applications in chem-related or bio-related fields.
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