Influence of Quaternization on UCST Properties of Hydroxyl-Derivatized Polymers

A series of hydroxyl-derivatized quaternized polymers were successfully synthesized by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) and Cu(I)-catalyzed 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of azide and alkynes (click chemistry), followed by quaternization reactions. ATRP was employed to synthesize poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA), followed by introduction of alkyne groups using pentynoic acid, leading to HEMA-Alkyne. 2-Azido-1-ethanol and 3-azido-1-propanol were combined with the HEMA-Alkyne backbone via click reaction, resulting in triazole-ring containing hydroxyl-derivatized polymers. Quaternization reactions with methyl iodide were conducted on the triazole ring of each polymer. Molecular weight, molecular weight distribution, and the degree of quaternization (DQ) were determined by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and $^1H$ NMR spectroscopy. The average molecular weight ($M_n$) of the resulting polymers ranged from $5.9{\times}10^4$ to $1.05{\times}10^5g/mol$ depending on the molecular architecture. The molecular weight distribution was low ($M_w/M_n$ = 1.26-1.38). The transmission spectra of the 0.1 wt % aqueous solutions of the resulting quaternized polymers at 650 nm were measured as a function of temperature. Results showed that the upper critical solution temperature (UCST) could be finely controlled by the level of DQ.