writer：Cheng-guang Mu, Xiao-dong Fan,* Wei Tian, Yang Bai, Zhen Yang, Wei-wei Fan and Heng Chen
keywords：stimulus-responsive,H-shaped terpolymer
source：期刊
specific source：Polym. Chem., 2012, 3, 3330-3339
Issue time：2012年

We describe the synthesis and self-assembly of a well-defined H-shaped terpolymer in this paper. A
block copolymer of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and poly(N,N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate)
(PDMA), which bears an azido group at the diblock junction (PEG–N3(–PDMA)) was first prepared
by atom transfer radical polymerization. Then, an alkynyl-terminated narrow distributed
polytetrahydrofuran (PTHF-Alk) was synthesized as another building block via cationic ring opening
polymerization. The well-defined H-shaped terpolymer was afforded by clicking PEG–N3(–PDMA)
onto both chain-ends of PTHF-Alk. This H-shaped terpolymer can self-assemble into micelles with
different sizes and morphologies at various solution pH values. The micellar size also exhibits
temperature-dependence at pH 7.4 and 9.2. The variation of size and morphology of the micelles with
the solution pH and temperature is ascribed to the pH- and thermo-responsive properties of the PDMA
block.