The synthesis of nanoporous hydrogels using sacrificial block copolymers

The purpose of this research is to synthesize nanostructured and porous hydrophilic networks (nanoporous hydrogels) using block copolymers and to understand their transport properties. Nanoporous materials are synthesized by connecting two or more chemically distinct polymer blocks, inducing microphase separation to form a pattern on the scale of tens of nanometers, and finally removing one of the polymer blocks. The sacrificial block needs to be degraded easily and controllably and the blocks must self-assemble. Desired properties for the non-degradable polymer block are that it be hydrophilic and that it can be crosslinked to form a hydrogel. Advantages of the nanoporous hydrogels are hydrophilicity and flexibility, and the hydrophilic nature would make these membranes suitable for the separation, based on size selectivity, of biological macromolecules such as proteins. Hydrogels with nanoscale structure were synthesized using amphiphilicpoly(c-caprolactone-b-ethylene oxide-b-s-caprolactone) (PCL-b-PEO-b-PCL) triblock copolymers. The triblock copolymer was produced by the ring opening polymerization of c-caprolactone with PEO as a macro-initiator in the presence of stannous octoate as a catalyst.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Chemical Engineering.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2006

Author dc:creator

• Kang, Jungmee

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Kenneth J. Beers.

• Chemical Engineering.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/37224

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/37224