Molecular brushes of poly(2-oxazoline)s (POx) are an intriguing class of polymers as they combine a unique architecture with the properties of POx as a biomaterial. Here, the synthesis of several POx macromonomers with methacrylate end groups and consecutive grafting through polymerization by aqueous atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) at room temperature is reported. 1H-NMR spectroscopy and size exclusion chromatography (SEC) confirmed the synthesis of POx molecular brushes with maximum side chain grafting densities, narrow molar mass distributions (Đ ≤ 1.16) and final molar masses corresponding to the initial macromonomer : initiator ratio. Chain extension experiments show high end group fidelity and formation of block copolymer molecular brushes, and kinetic studies revealed a polymerization behavior of oligo(2-methyl-2-oxazoline) methacrylate very similar to the frequently used oligo(ethylene glycol) methacrylate (OEGMA475). Aqueous solutions of POx molecular brushes with poly(2-ethyl- and 2-isopropyl-2-oxazoline) side chains exhibit the typically defined thermoresponsive behavior with a tunable, very narrow and reversible phase transition

Die RAFT-Polymerisation ("Reversible Addition-Fragmentation Chain Transfer") ist eine radikalische Polymerisation, die auf dem Prinzip des degenerativen Kettentransfers basiert. Es können Polymere hergestellt werden, die eine niedrige Dispersität aufweisen und komplexe makromolekulare Strukturen ausbilden. Für die Funktionalisierung von Polymerketten bietet sich die RAFT-Polymerisation ebenfalls an, da idealerweise jede auf diese Art hergestellte Polymerkette eine RAFT-Einheit trägt und so eine vollständige Funktionalisierung gewährleistet ist. Im Fokus dieser Arbeit stand die Funktionalisierung von Polybutadien und 1,3-Butadien enthaltenden Copolymeren mit gezielt eingebauten schwefelhaltigen Gruppen. Dabei wurden zwei verschiedene Ansätze verfolgt: Die α,ω-Funktionalisierung der Polymerketten mittels modifizierter RAFT-Agenzien sowie eine Funktionalisierung entlang der Polymerkette mit Hilfe von speziellen Monomeren. Da diese Polymere in technischen Anwendungen Verwendung finden sollen, standen einfache Synthesen, die sich gut auf den Technikums- und Industriemaßstab übertragen lassen, im Vordergrund. Da es sich bei der RAFT-Einheit auch um eine schwefelhaltige Gruppe handelt, wurden Strategien zur Funktionalisierung der Abgangsgruppe erarbeitet und experimentell untersucht, um so ein α,ω-funktionalisiertes Polymer zu erhalten. Neben klassischen RAFT-Agenzien wurden auch neuartige Makro-RAFT-Agenzien verwendet, bei denen die schwefelhaltige Gruppe während einer Polymerisation in situ angebunden wird. Darüber hinaus konnten erfolgreich Monomere synthetisiert werden, die wegen ihrer styrolähnlichen Struktur und der Ähnlichkeit der Monomere Styrol und 1,3-Butadien in ihrem Polymerisationsverhalten gut mit 1,3-Butadien copolymerisieren und dabei die schwefelhaltige Gruppe entlang der Polymerkette einbauen. Das Hauptaugenmerk weiterer Untersuchungen lag auf den Copolymerisationseigenschaften der Monomere. Dazu wurden umfangreiche Untersuchungen mit Styrol als Modellsystem für 1,3-Butadien durchgeführt und die gewonnenen Erkenntnisse in einer Copolymerisation der funktionalisierten Monomere mit 1,3-Butadien verifiziert. Es konnte weiterhin gezeigt werden, dass sich schaltbare RAFT-Agenzien für die Synthese von Poly(butadien)-block-poly(vinylacetat) eignen, obwohl es sich um zwei Monomere mit stark unterschiedlichen elektronischen Eigenschaften handelt, die in einer konventionellen radikalischen Polymerisation kein Copolymer bilden würden. Aufgrund der Ähnlichkeit der Monomere Vinylacetat und Ethylen eröffnet dies neue Wege in der kontrollierten radikalischen Polymerisation von Polybutadien-block-polyethylen und erweitert so das Spektrum der unpolaren Monomere in der RAFT-Polymerisation zur Herstellung von Blockcopolymeren.

The diploma thesis will focus on the exhibition activities of institutes of the Czechoslovakian Academy of Sciences (ČSAV) from the 1970s until nowadays exhibition activities of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic (AV ČR). The institutes of the ČSAV were among a few places where unofficial and often also politically undesirable artists could exhibit their work. One of the main chapters in my thesis will deal with the Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, in particular, where exhibitions in the entrance hall are still held until nowadays. Furthermore I will focus on architect of The Macromolecular institute and the artists whose work has been presented here, eg. V. Boštík, A. Šimotová, O. Zoubek etc., as well as the particular places serving as alternative galleries. The aim of my thesis will be also showing the function of those places in these days and investigating the overall public interest in the cultural activities of the AV ČR. Keywords Czechoslovakian Academy of Sciences (ČSAV), Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic (AV ČR), Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Karel Prager, Makráč, Gallery 4P, Philosophical club, Alternative exhibition places, Prohibited art

Cette thèse décrit des électrolytes polymères à conduction mono-ionique (EC-SIPEs). Ces macromolécules sont constituées de n* unités répétition d’oxyde d’éthylène (OE) et d’un groupe fonctionnel ionique à une des extrémités de leur architecture macromoléculaire asymétrique. La bibliothèque des EC-SIPEs synthétisée est basée sur des poly(oxyde d’éthylène) mono méthyl éther (mPOEn-OH) ayant 8, 10, 20 et 55 unités EO. Les anions sont liés de manière covalente au squelette polymère via une des extrémités. Leur mobilité est donc limitée par celles de ces macromolécules fonctionnelles. Les EC-SIPES constituent des conducteurs mono-ioniques; la majorité des charges étant transférées par les cations Li+ comme démontré par chronoampérométrie.Les extrémités de chaînes sont sélectionnées pour développer des interactions ioniques facilitant la conduction de cation Li+ ainsi que des interactions non-covalentes de types dipôles-dipôles, Van der Waals, et d’empilements π-π. Des hydrocarbures aromatiques polycycliques de type naphtalène (naph) et pyrène (pyr) sont étudiés comme extrémités de chaines. Les groupes terminaux fonctionnels sont lithiés : sulfonates (-SO3Li, -PhSO3Li), N-naphtyl sulfonamide (-SO2N(Li)Naph) et N-arylamines (-N(Li)Naph, -N(Li)Pyr). Deux types d'extrémités ciblent des propriétés spécifiques : i) "double-sel" possédant deux fonctions ioniques et ii) zwittérionique conduisant le cation Li+ et l’anion TFSI-. Le doublement du nombre de Li+ par groupe terminal n’autorise pas l’amélioration attendue de la conductivité ionique (σ). Ceci implique que σ est limitée par la physicochimie des chaînes polymères et non par la concentration en Li+. L'EC-SIPE zwittérionique a un nombre de transport de lithium élevé (t+Li= 0,8) qui implique une mobilité réduite de l’anion TFIS- par rapport au cation Li+. La meilleure performance est obtenue avec le mPOEn-N(Li)Pyr (OEn= 10, 20, 55) : σ > 1,0*10-4 S/cm à T > 40 °C et 1*10-3 S/cm à 100 °C. Cet EC-SIPE à une résistivité constante en cyclage galvanostatique (j= 10 μA/cm^2 ; 10 périodes de 4h ; pile Li|Li ; 40 °C) et une stabilité électrochimique dans la plage de potentiel 0 V-3,7 V vs. Li/Li+ (pile Li|Stainless steel ; vitesse de balayage en potentiel 1,0 mV/s ; 40 °C).Le contexte de cette thèse vis à vis de l’état de l’art des électrolytes polymères pour les batteries Li-Ion est présenté dans le chapitre I. Deux sous-classes d’électrolytes sont discutées: i) les polymères dans lesquels un sel est solvaté (SiP) et ii) les polymères à conduction mono-ionique. La conception d'électrolytes polymères efficaces à conductivité ionique améliorée est ciblée. Une attention toute particulière est accordée aux concepts d'auto-organisation hiérarchique visant à la création de chemins percolant assurant le transport d’ions sur les distances microniques séparant les électrodes d’une batterie. Enfin, la stratégie de synthèse mise en œuvre dans cette thèse est décrite.Les principaux résultats de cette thèse sont présentés et discutés au chapitre II. Une bibliothèque d'EC-SIPEs est caractérisée vis-à-vis de leurs performances électrochimiques, thermiques et de leurs propriétés de transport ionique spécifique. Des caractéristiques résistives apparaissent à haute température et sont supposées résulter de l'agrégation des groupes ioniques terminaux. Les valeurs de conductivité des EC-SIPEs (55 Unités OE) s'améliorent d'un demi-ordre de grandeur lors du cyclage en température au-delà de la température de fusion des domaines cristallins de POE. La discussion se termine par la proposition d'un modèle de percolation des domaines ioniques dans les EC-SIPEs où les groupes ioniques sont localisés aux interfaces des domaines POE. La percolation des domaines ioniques devrait être améliorée dans des conditions appropriées de température et de force électromagnétique. Les méthodes de synthèse mises en œuvre dans cette thèse et les caractérisations des EC-SIPEs sont décrites au chapitre III. / This thesis presents "End-Capped Single-Ion Polymer Electrolytes" (EC-SIPEs) that are ionically conductive polymers having n repeating ethylene oxide (EO) units and an ionic functional group at one chain terminal. The library of EC-SIPEs presented are based on poly(ethylene oxide) mono methyl ether (mPEOn-OH) having EOn = 8, 10, 20 and 55. The anions of the electrolyte salt pair are covalently bound to the polymer as part of the end-group design. The mobility of the anion is thus limited by the low mobility of the polymer, relative to Li+. These are "Single-Ion" conductors because the majority of ionic charge transferred by Li+ cations, as demonstrated by chronoamperometry.The end-group designs target not only ionic interactions that facilitate "single-ion" conduction of Li+, but also other specific non-covalent interactions such as dipole-dipole, Van der Waals, and π-π stacking. End-groups having naphthalene (naph) and pyrene (pyr) polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) moieties are investigated. The functional end-groups are lithiated sulfonates (-SO3Li, -PhSO3Li), a N-naphyl sulfonamide (-SO2N(Li)Naph), and secondary N-aryl amines (-N(Li)Naph, -N(Li)Pyr). Two end-groups target specific properties: i) a "double salt" end-group has two ionic functions at one chain end, and ii) a zwitterionic EC-SIPE that conducts Li+ cations and TFSI- anions. The doubling of the number of Li+ per end-group does not correlate to an expected improvement in ionic conductivity (σ). This implies that σ is limited by the physicochemical properties of the EC-SIPE and not the Li+ concentration. The zwitterionic EC-SIPE has a high lithium transference number (t+Li= 0.8) that implies decreased mobility of the TFIS- counter-anion relative to Li+. The best overall performance is achieved by mPEOn-N(Li)Pyr (EOn= 10, 20, 55), that has σ > 1.0*10-4 S/cm at T > 40 °C, and reaches 1*10-3 S/cm at 100 °C. It exhibits constant resistivity under galvanostatic cycling (j= 10 μA.cm-2, 10*4h periods, Li|Li cell, 40 °C) and is electrochemically stable in the 0 V-3.7 V vs. Li/Li+ potential range (Li|stainless steel cell, 1.0 mV/s sweep rate, 40 °C).In Chapter I the context of the thesis is discussed through review of state-of-the-art polymer electrolytes for Li-ion batteries. These are divided into two sub-classes: i) Salt-in-Polymer (SiP) and ii) "Single-Ion" polymer electrolytes. The design of polymer electrolytes towards efficient and effective ionic conductivity is emphasized. Special attention is given to concepts for the organisation of bulk morphology for the creation of ion transport pathways that efficiently percolate through the micron length scale separating electrodes of a battery. Finally, the synthetic strategy implemented in this thesis is described.The principle results of the thesis are presented and discussed in Chapter II. A library of EC-SIPEs are characterised in terms of their electrochemical, thermal and specific ion-transport performances. Resistive features appear at high temperature and are expected to result from the aggregation of ionic end-groups. Surprisingly, the σ of EC-SIPEs having EOn= 55 improves by as much as half an order of magnitude with repeated cycling of temperature to above Tm of crystalline PEO (in the +40 °C to +100 °C range). The analysis of EC-SIPEs having different end-groups and PEO chains having EOn= 8, 10, 20, and 55 lead to the proposition of a tentative model for the percolation of ionic pathways through the EC-SIPE bulk. It is hypothesized that the ionic end-groups are localised at the grain boundaries of PEO domains. Percolation of these boundaries are proposed to be improved under appropriate, mild conditions of temperature and electromagnetic force. Finally, the synthesis methods implemented in this thesis and characterizations of EC-SIPEs are described in Chapter III.

Au cours de la dernière décennie, quelques (rares) exemples de copolymères à blocs présentant des liens supramoléculaires entre les blocs constitutifs ont été décrits. En raison du caractère réversible de l’association des blocs macromoléculaires, de tels polymères sont d’un grand intérêt pour le développement de matériaux nanostructurés, ayant des propriétés auto-cicatrisantes ou à processabilité améliorée. L’objectif principal de cette thèse est d’élaborer de nouvelles architectures supramoléculaires, en combinant la polymérisation RAFT et l’association spécifique par liaisons H des groupements thymine et diaminopyridine. La stratégie employée a consisté dans un premier temps en la synthèse d’agents de transfert et d’un amorceur radicalaire fonctionnalisés par des unités complémentaires thymine et diaminopyridine. Ces précurseurs ont permis de générer, par polymérisation RAFT, des polymères α- ou α,ω-fonctionnalisés de manière quantitative par ces motifs à liaisons H. L’auto-assemblage des blocs polymères ainsi obtenus a été mis en évidence par RMN 1H, AFM et par des mesures rhéologiques. Cette démarche a été adaptée dans un second temps à l’élaboration de copolymères greffés supramoléculaires hydrophiles, basés sur le complexe d’inclusion β-cyclodextrine/adamantane. / Over the past decade, some (rare) examples of block copolymers with supramolecular links between the building blocks have been described. Because the association between macromolecular blocks is a reversible process, such polymers are of great interest in the field of nanostructured materials, self-healing materials, or processing aid. The main goal of this work is to develop new supramolecular architectures, by a combination of RAFT polymerization and H-bonding. In a first step, several chain transfer agents and a radical initiator possessing complementary thymine or diaminopyridine H-bonding moeties were synthesized. These precursors were used to generate a panel of polymers α- or α,ω-functionalized with these H-bonding stickers in a quantitative manner. The self-assembly of the resulting polymer blocks was highlighted by 1H NMR, AFM and rheological measurements. This approach was subsequently adapted to the development of hydrophilic supramolecular comb-shaped polymers, based on the β-cyclodextrin/adamantane host/guest complexation.

The hydrophobicity of a surface is an important property in many areas of science and engineering. This is especially the case in mineral processing, where differences in surface hydrophobicity lie at the heart of the separation process of flotation. Chemicals are used to increase and decrease the natural hydrophobicity of minerals to attain a better separation between valuable and worthless material. Polymers are often used to reduce mineral surface hydrophobicity. Decades of empirically based decision making have produced a list of effective depressants. However the detailed study of how these polymer depressants affect surface hydrophobicity and mineral recovery lags behind applied investigations. The aim of this thesis was to study the adsorption of commonly used depressants on model surfaces and to interrogate the action of these polymers in reducing surface hydrophobicity. We have modelled the degree of hydrophobicity of common minerals in order to study polymer depressants with methods not commonly used in studies of surface characterisation in flotation. The model surfaces (self-assembled monolayers, SAMs) allowed us to use the quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D) to study the adsorption of polymers. The QCM-D can be used to obtain adsorption isotherms, adsorption kinetics, water content of adsorbed layers, and information on the conformation of the adsorbed polymer. The results from the QCM-D were correlated with the contact angle data from the captive bubble measurements, with which we assessed the hydrophobicity of the surface before and after polymer adsorption. Three of the polymers layers were probed with dynamic dewetting studies, in order to test other modes of depressant action. Three types of polymers were studied - a polyacrylamide (Polymer-H), a polyelectrolyte CMC (carboxymethyl cellulose) and a group of dextrins (Dextrin-TY, a phenyl succinate substituted dextrin (PS Dextrin) and a styrene oxide substituted dextrin (SO Dextrin)). These polymers are commonly used or have potential to be used in the depression of talc and graphite. Polymer-H was used to investigate the hydrophobic bonding between a non-ionic polymer depressant and chemically inert and non charged surfaces by probing the influence of substrate hydrophobicity on polymer adsorption and reduction of contact angle. Three different model surfaces were used (mixed self-assembled 0.5 SAM, 0.7 SAM or single self-assembled 1.0 SAM monolayers) with advancing contact angles between 75?? and 119??. The study of Polymer-H found that the substrate hydrophobicity is an important factor in adsorption of this polymer and the change in contact angle upon adsorption depends on adsorbed amount. The effectiveness of Polymer-H to reduce surface hydrophobicity was established to correlate with its conformation and morphology. CMC was investigated to find out how a stimulus responsive polymer depressant can be used in flotation. It was established that the adsorbed amount and rate of adsorption of CMC increase with decreasing of pH or increasing of ionic strength. It was shown that the surface hydrophobicity of a CMC pre-adsorbed layer changes with the environment and these alterations are fully reversible. A switch of ionic strength (from 10-2 M KCl to 10-1 M KCl) caused partial dehydration of the adsorbed layer and a decrease of the receding contact angle by 20??. A pH switch (pH = 9 to pH = 3) resulted in a 40?? change in receding contact angle. The CMC investigation showed that the use of a stimulus responsive polymer presents opportunities for exploiting solution conditions as a means to effect a better mineral separation in flotation The adsorption of three dextrin-based polymers on a model hydrophobic surface has been characterized using the quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D). The three polymers (one standard dextrin and two dextrins with different aromatic group substitutions) exhibited varying affinities and capacity for adsorption on the hydrophobic substrate. The effect of the three polymers on the static contact angle of the surface was studied using captive bubble contact angle measurements. The three polymers were seen to reduce the receding contact angle by similar amounts (approximately 14 degrees) in spite of having varying adsorbed amounts and differences in adsorbed layer water content. Although no differences were observed in the ability of the polymers to reduce the static contact angle, measurements of the dewetting dynamics between a rising air bubble and the polymer covered substrate yielded stark differences between the polymers, with one polymer slowing the dewetting dynamics by an order of magnitude more than the other two polymers. The differences in dewetting behaviour correlate with the adsorbed layer characteristics determined by QCM-D. / Thesis (PhD)--University of South Australia, 2010

The hydrophobicity of a surface is an important property in many areas of science and engineering. This is especially the case in mineral processing, where differences in surface hydrophobicity lie at the heart of the separation process of flotation. Chemicals are used to increase and decrease the natural hydrophobicity of minerals to attain a better separation between valuable and worthless material. Polymers are often used to reduce mineral surface hydrophobicity. Decades of empirically based decision making have produced a list of effective depressants. However the detailed study of how these polymer depressants affect surface hydrophobicity and mineral recovery lags behind applied investigations. The aim of this thesis was to study the adsorption of commonly used depressants on model surfaces and to interrogate the action of these polymers in reducing surface hydrophobicity. We have modelled the degree of hydrophobicity of common minerals in order to study polymer depressants with methods not commonly used in studies of surface characterisation in flotation. The model surfaces (self-assembled monolayers, SAMs) allowed us to use the quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D) to study the adsorption of polymers. The QCM-D can be used to obtain adsorption isotherms, adsorption kinetics, water content of adsorbed layers, and information on the conformation of the adsorbed polymer. The results from the QCM-D were correlated with the contact angle data from the captive bubble measurements, with which we assessed the hydrophobicity of the surface before and after polymer adsorption. Three of the polymers layers were probed with dynamic dewetting studies, in order to test other modes of depressant action. Three types of polymers were studied - a polyacrylamide (Polymer-H), a polyelectrolyte CMC (carboxymethyl cellulose) and a group of dextrins (Dextrin-TY, a phenyl succinate substituted dextrin (PS Dextrin) and a styrene oxide substituted dextrin (SO Dextrin)). These polymers are commonly used or have potential to be used in the depression of talc and graphite. Polymer-H was used to investigate the hydrophobic bonding between a non-ionic polymer depressant and chemically inert and non charged surfaces by probing the influence of substrate hydrophobicity on polymer adsorption and reduction of contact angle. Three different model surfaces were used (mixed self-assembled 0.5 SAM, 0.7 SAM or single self-assembled 1.0 SAM monolayers) with advancing contact angles between 75?? and 119??. The study of Polymer-H found that the substrate hydrophobicity is an important factor in adsorption of this polymer and the change in contact angle upon adsorption depends on adsorbed amount. The effectiveness of Polymer-H to reduce surface hydrophobicity was established to correlate with its conformation and morphology. CMC was investigated to find out how a stimulus responsive polymer depressant can be used in flotation. It was established that the adsorbed amount and rate of adsorption of CMC increase with decreasing of pH or increasing of ionic strength. It was shown that the surface hydrophobicity of a CMC pre-adsorbed layer changes with the environment and these alterations are fully reversible. A switch of ionic strength (from 10-2 M KCl to 10-1 M KCl) caused partial dehydration of the adsorbed layer and a decrease of the receding contact angle by 20??. A pH switch (pH = 9 to pH = 3) resulted in a 40?? change in receding contact angle. The CMC investigation showed that the use of a stimulus responsive polymer presents opportunities for exploiting solution conditions as a means to effect a better mineral separation in flotation The adsorption of three dextrin-based polymers on a model hydrophobic surface has been characterized using the quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D). The three polymers (one standard dextrin and two dextrins with different aromatic group substitutions) exhibited varying affinities and capacity for adsorption on the hydrophobic substrate. The effect of the three polymers on the static contact angle of the surface was studied using captive bubble contact angle measurements. The three polymers were seen to reduce the receding contact angle by similar amounts (approximately 14 degrees) in spite of having varying adsorbed amounts and differences in adsorbed layer water content. Although no differences were observed in the ability of the polymers to reduce the static contact angle, measurements of the dewetting dynamics between a rising air bubble and the polymer covered substrate yielded stark differences between the polymers, with one polymer slowing the dewetting dynamics by an order of magnitude more than the other two polymers. The differences in dewetting behaviour correlate with the adsorbed layer characteristics determined by QCM-D. / Thesis (PhD)--University of South Australia, 2010