Polymerization-induced self-assembly of 2-hydroxypropyl methacrylate is conducted in water and water/MeOH using a CO2 -responsive macroRAFT agent in the form of a statistical copolymer comprising N,N-diethylaminoethyl methacrylate (DEAEMA) and poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate (M n = 475 g mol-1 ). Pressurization with CO2 leads to protonation of DEAEMA units within the stabilizer block, thereby offering a means of adjusting the charge density of the coronal layer. It is demonstrated that a wide range of tunable particle morphologies are accessible by simply varying the CO2 pressure during polymerization in the range of 10-45 bar.
Keywords: CO2-responsive polymers; aqueous dispersion polymerization; controlled/living radical polymerization; polymerization-induced self-assembly.
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