Facile one-pot synthesis of nano sized core cross-linked micelles via RAFT polymerization in selective solvent

Crew-cut micelles with polystyrene (PS) as shell and cross-linked poly(4-vinyl pyridine)-co-(divinyl benzene) [P(4VP-co-DVB)] as core have been successively prepared by reversible addition fragmentation transfer (RAFF) polymerization of 4VP and DVB with macro transfer agent, dithiobenzoate-terminated PS, PS-C (S) Ph in selective solvent. The linear macro RAFT agent, PS-SC (S) Ph was prepared by RAFF polymerization of S using 2(ethoxycarbonyl)-2-propyl dithiobenzoate (ECPDB) and AlBN as RAFF agent and initiatior. The advantages of this method are the block copolymerization, micellization and crosslinking reactions occur in one pot, and higher concentration of the micelles up to 30% can be obtained. The stable nano-sized micelles with functional cores were characterized by dynamic and static laser light scattering (PUS, SLLS), transmission electron micrograph(TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and NMR etc.