Formation of Well‐Defined Polymer Particles in the Sub‐100 nm Size Range by Using Amphiphilic Block Copolymer Surfactants and a Microemulsion Approach

Abstract

Here, the formation of nanoparticles based on a microemulsion approach and the use of polymer surfactants are described. Therefore, two amphiphilic poly(2‐oxazoline) block copolymers P1 and P2 with alkyne groups in their hydrophobic block have been synthesized by ring‐opening, cationic polymerization. The polymers P1 and P2 are employed in a microemulsion process to stabilize the particle core by core cross‐linking of 1,6‐hexanediol diacrylate (HDDA) using either AIBN as azo‐initiator or 2‐propanethiol as a photo‐initiator for the polymerization reaction. The results show that particle size can be controlled by sonication time, the hydrophilic–hydrophobic balance of the polymer surfactant, and the ratio of polymer surfactant versus HDDA giving access to water‐soluble nanoparticles in a size range of 10–70 nm. image