scholarly journals Towards a Polymer-Brush-Based Friction Modifier for Oil

2021 ◽  
Vol 69 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tobias A. Gmür ◽  
Joydeb Mandal ◽  
Juliette Cayer-Barrioz ◽  
Nicholas D. Spencer

AbstractTo meet the need for oil-compatible friction modifier additives that can significantly reduce energy consumption in the boundary-lubrication regime, a macromolecular design approach has been taken. The aim was to produce a lubricious polymer film on the sliding surfaces. A series of readily functionalizable block copolymers carrying an oleophilic poly(dodecyl methacrylate) block and a functionalizable poly(pentafluorophenyl methacrylate) block of various lengths was synthesized by means of reversible addition-fragmentation chain-transfer (RAFT) polymerization. The poly(pentafluorophenyl methacrylate) block was used to attach surface-active nitrocatechol anchoring groups to the polymer. The friction-reduction properties of these polymers were assessed with 0.5 wt% solutions in hexadecane by means of rolling-sliding macroscopic tribological tests. Block copolymers with roughly equal block lengths and moderate molecular weights were significantly more effective at friction reduction than all other architectures investigated. They also displayed lower friction coefficients than glycerol monooleate—a commercially used additive. The film-formation ability of these polymers was examined using a quartz-crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D), by monitoring their adsorption onto an iron oxide-coated QCM crystal. The polymer with highest lubrication efficiency formed a thin film of ~ 17 nm thickness on the crystal, indicating the formation of a polymer brush. Interferometric rolling-sliding experiments with the same polymer showed a separating film thickness of ~ 20 nm, which is consistent with the QCM-D value, bearing in mind the compression of the adsorbed layers on the two sliding surfaces during tribological testing. Graphical Abstract

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tobias A. Gmür ◽  
Joydeb Mandal ◽  
Juliette Cayer-Barrioz ◽  
Nicholas D. Spencer

Abstract In the search for new, oil-compatible friction-modifier additives that can significantly reduce energy consumption by reducing the friction in the boundary-lubrication regime, a macromolecular-design approach has been taken. This involved the synthesis of a series of readily functionalizable block copolymers carrying an oleophilic poly(lauryl methacrylate) block and a functionalizable poly(pentafluorophenyl methacrylate) block of various lengths by means of reversible addition-fragmentation chain-transfer (RAFT) polymerization. The poly(pentafluorophenyl methacrylate) block was used to attach surface-active nitro-catechol anchoring groups to the polymer. The friction-reduction properties of these polymers were assessed using 0.5 wt.% solutions in hexadecane using rolling-sliding macroscopic tribological tests. Block copolymers with roughly equal block lengths and moderate molecular weights were significantly more effective at friction reduction than all other architectures investigated. They also displayed lower friction coefficients than glycerol monooleate, a commercially used additive. The film formation ability of these polymers was examined using a quartz-crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D), by monitoring their adsorption onto an iron-oxide coated QCM crystal. The polymer with highest lubrication efficiency formed a thin film of ∼17 nm thickness on the iron-oxide coated QCM crystal, consistent with the formation of a polymer brush. Interferometric rolling-sliding experiments with the same polymer showed a separating film thickness of ∼20 nm, which is consistent with the QCM-D value, bearing in mind the compression of the adsorbed layers on the two sliding surfaces during tribological testing.


2006 ◽  
Vol 59 (10) ◽  
pp. 749 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brad S. Lokitz ◽  
Jonathan E. Stempka ◽  
Adam W. York ◽  
Yuting Li ◽  
Hitesh K. Goel ◽  
...  

Chiral homo- and block copolymers based on the enantiomeric monomers N-acryloyl-l-alanine (ALAL) and N-acryloyl-d-alanine (ADAL) were prepared directly in water using controlled reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. The polymerization of the chiral monomers proceeded in a controlled fashion producing the respective homopolymers, block copolymers, and a statistical copolymer with targeted molecular weights and narrow molecular weight distributions. The chiroptical activity of these biomimetic polymers and their analogous model compounds was investigated using circular dichroism (CD). P(ALAL) and P(ADAL) were shown to be optically active exhibiting mirror image CD spectra. In addition, statistical and enantiomeric block copolymers prepared at 1:1 stochiometric ratios exhibited virtually no optical activity.


2010 ◽  
Vol 88 (3) ◽  
pp. 228-235 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chih-Feng Huang ◽  
Jeong Ae Yoon ◽  
Krzysztof Matyjaszewski

Amphiphilic block copolymers poly(N-vinylcarbazole)-b-poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) (PNVK-b-PNVP) were prepared by xanthate-mediated reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. Both the PNVK and PNVP macroinitiators and the resulting block copolymers had molecular weights close to theoretical values, predicted for efficient initiation, in the range of Mn = 30 000 to 90 000. The block copolymers dissolved in several organic solvents but, depending on their composition, in methanol formed either micelles or large aggregates, as confirmed by dynamic light scattering. The presence of globular aggregates was confirmed by tapping mode atomic force microscopy.


2011 ◽  
Vol 89 (3) ◽  
pp. 317-325 ◽  
Author(s):  
Binxin Li ◽  
Daniel Majonis ◽  
Peng Liu ◽  
Mitchell A. Winnik

We describe the synthesis of an end-functionalized copolymer of N-(2-hydroxypropyl)methacrylamide (HPMA) and N-hydroxysuccinimide methacrylate (NMS) by reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. To control the polymer composition, the faster reacting monomer (NMS) was added slowly to the reaction mixture beginning 30 min after initating the polymerization (ca. 16% HPMA conversion). One RAFT agent, based on azocyanopentanoic acid, introduced a –COOH group to the chain at one end. Use of a different RAFT agent containing a 4-amino-1,8-naphthalimide dye introduced a UV–vis absorbing and fluorescent group at this chain end. The polymers obtained had molecular weights of 30 000 and 20 000, respectively, and contained about 30 mol% NMS active ester groups.


Molecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (21) ◽  
pp. 5147
Author(s):  
Wanting Hou ◽  
Ruiqi Liu ◽  
Siwei Bi ◽  
Qian He ◽  
Haibo Wang ◽  
...  

Due to a strong retardation effect of o-nitrobenzyl ester on polymerization, it is still a great challenge to prepare amphiphilic block copolymers for polymersomes with a o-nitrobenzyl ester-based hydrophobic block. Herein, we present one such solution to prepare amphiphilic block copolymers with pure poly (o-nitrobenzyl acrylate) (PNBA) as the hydrophobic block and poly (N,N’-dimethylacrylamide) (PDMA) as the hydrophilic block using bulk reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization of o-nitrobenzyl acrylate using a PDMA macro-RAFT agent. The developed amphiphilic block copolymers have a suitable hydrophobic/hydrophilic ratio and can self-assemble into photoresponsive polymersomes for co-loading hydrophobic and hydrophilic cargos into hydrophobic membranes and aqueous compartments of the polymersomes. The polymersomes demonstrate a clear photo-responsive characteristic. Exposure to light irradiation at 365 nm can trigger a photocleavage reaction of o-nitrobenzyl groups, which results in dissociation of the polymersomes with simultaneous co-release of hydrophilic and hydrophobic cargoes on demand. Therefore, these polymersomes have great potential as a smart drug delivery nanocarrier for controllable loading and releasing of hydrophilic and hydrophobic drug molecules. Moreover, taking advantage of the conditional releasing of hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs, the drug delivery system has potential use in medical applications such as cancer therapy.


2019 ◽  
Vol 72 (7) ◽  
pp. 479 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amin Reyhani ◽  
Thomas G. McKenzie ◽  
Qiang Fu ◽  
Greg G. Qiao

Reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization initiated by a radical-forming redox reaction between a reducing and an oxidizing agent (i.e. ‘redox RAFT’) represents a simple, versatile, and highly useful platform for controlled polymer synthesis. Herein, the potency of a wide range of redox initiation systems including enzyme-mediated redox reactions, the Fenton reaction, peroxide-based reactions, and metal-catalyzed redox reactions, and their application in initiating RAFT polymerization, are reviewed. These redox-RAFT polymerization methods have been widely studied for synthesizing a broad range of homo- and co-polymers with tailored molecular weights, compositions, and (macro)molecular structures. It has been demonstrated that redox-RAFT polymerization holds particular promise due to its excellent performance under mild conditions, typically operating at room temperature. Redox-RAFT polymerization is therefore an important and core part of the RAFT methodology handbook and may be of particular importance going forward for the fabrication of polymeric biomaterials under biologically relevant conditions or in biological systems, in which naturally occurring redox reactions are prevalent.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Wenwen Yu ◽  
Lijing Zhu ◽  
Jiangao Shi ◽  
Cunting Zhao

Poly(lactic acid)-block-poly(N,N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate) (PLA-PDMAEMA) copolymers were synthesized from aminolyzed PLA via reversible addition fragmentation (RAFT) polymerization. PLA undergoes aminolytic degradation with ethylenediamine (EDA). The kinetics of the aminolysis reaction of PLA at different temperatures and EDA concentrations was investigated in detail. The molar masses of products rapidly decreased in the initial stage at low aminolytic degree. Meanwhile, reactive –NH2 and –OH groups were introduced to the end of shorter PLA chains and used as sites to further immobilize the RAFT agent. PLA-PDMAEMA block copolymers were synthesized. A pseudo-first-order reaction kinetics was observed for the RAFT polymerization of PDMAEMA at a low conversion. By controlling the aminolysis reaction of PLA and RAFT polymerization degree of DMAEMA, the length distributions of the PLA and PDMAEMA blocks can be controlled. This method can be extended to more systems to obtain block copolymers with controllable block structure.


2011 ◽  
Vol 64 (6) ◽  
pp. 766 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bianca M. Blunden ◽  
Donald S. Thomas ◽  
Martina H. Stenzel

Amphiphilic block copolymers were prepared via reversible–addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization and their synthesis, cross-linking, and degradation were studied using on-line monitoring. The focus of this work is the systematic alteration of the hydrophobic block using copolymers based on 5′-O-methacryloyluridine (MAU) and styrene at different compositions to determine the effect of the copolymer composition on the properties of the micelle. A poly(poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate) (PEGMA) macroRAFT agent was chain extended with a mixture of styrene and MAU. In both systems, an increasing fraction of styrene was found to reduce the rate of polymerization, but the functionality of the RAFT system was always maintained. The amphiphilic block copolymers were dialyzed against water to generate micelles with sizes between 17 and 25 nm according to dynamic light scattering (DLS). Increasing styrene content lead to smaller micelles (determined by DLS and transmission electron microscopy) and to lower critical micelle concentrations, which was measured using surface tensiometry. The micelles were further stabilized via core-cross-linking using bis(2-methacroyloxyethyl) disulfide as crosslinker. NMR analysis revealed a faster consumption of crosslinker with higher styrene content. These stable cross-linked micelles were investigated regarding their ability to degrade in the presence of dithiothreitol as a model reductant. Increasing the styrene content resulted in a faster degradation of the cross-linked micelles into unimers.


2013 ◽  
Vol 66 (12) ◽  
pp. 1564 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lily A. Dayter ◽  
Kate A. Murphy ◽  
Devon A. Shipp

A single reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) agent, malonate N,N-diphenyldithiocarbamate (MDP-DTC) is shown to successfully mediate the polymerization of several monomers with greatly differing reactivities in radical/RAFT polymerizations, including both vinyl acetate and styrene. The chain transfer constants (Ctr) for MDP-DTC for both these monomers were evaluated; these were found to be ~2.7 in styrene and ~26 in vinyl acetate, indicating moderate control over styrene polymerization and good control of vinyl acetate polymerization. In particular, the MDP-DTC RAFT agent allowed for the synthesis of block copolymers of these two monomers without the need for protonation/deprotonation switching, as has been previously developed with N-(4-pyridinyl)-N-methyldithiocarbamate RAFT agents, or other end-group transformations. The thermal properties of the block copolymers were studied using differential scanning calorimetry, and those with sufficiently high molecular weight and styrene composition appear to undergo phase separation. Thus, MDP-DTC may be useful for the production of other block copolymers consisting of monomers with highly dissimilar reactivities.


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