Figure 1. (a) Chemical structure of AnTAP and AnAAP; (b) the sol-gel transition for 2 wt % polymer solution before and after UV light irradiation.

The polymers containing more than two species of alternating hydrophobic and hydrophilic units are usually called as alternating APs (AAPs). Featuring the alternating structures, the multi-intermolecular and multi-intramolecular hydrophobic associations coexist in the AAPs solution, so the viscoelasticity of AAPs solution has been studied limitedly and even poorly understood up to now due to the complicated aggregation. On the other hand, booming research efforts have been paid to the aggregation and rheology of triblock telechelic associative polymers (TAPs) consisting of hydrophilic backbone and two hydrophobic end groups, since the easy preparation and well-defined structure. If the hydrophobic end groups in TAPs can be connected end to end through the covalent bonding in the micellar cores, and thus linear AAPs can be readily prepared from TAPs.

Figure 2. Network model of AnAAP aqueous solution.

Recently, a linear AAP with ultrahigh molecular weight was prepared through self-assembly assisted dimerization chain-extended reaction of an anthracene-functionalized telechelic associative polymer (AnTAP) in aqueous solution by UV light irradiation, and the solution viscoelasticity were studied by Zhukang Du et. al. from South China Advanced Institute for Soft Matter Science and Technology. This work has been published in ACS Macro Lett. (2019, 8, 279, 41, 27-34).

Zhukang Du, Yuke Shan, Jintian Luo, Ning Sun, and Biye Ren*. Linear Alternating Associative Polymer with Ultrahigh Molecular Weight: Facile Preparation by Self-Assembly Assisted Dimerization of Anthracene and Rheology in Aqueous Solution. ACS Macro Lett. 2019, 8, 279−284.

文章链接：https://pubs.acs.org.ccindex.cn/doi/10.1021/acsmacrolett.9b00028