mz7b00776_si_001.pdf (1.82 MB)
Conformation of Methylcellulose as a Function of Poly(ethylene glycol) Graft Density
journal contribution
posted on 2017-11-01, 14:20 authored by Svetlana Morozova, Timothy P. LodgeLow
molecular weight thiol-terminated poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)
(M ≈ 800) has been grafted onto a high molecular
weight methylcellulose (MC, Mw ≈
150000) by a facile thiol–ene click reaction; graft densities
varied from 0.7% to 33% (grafts per anhydroglucose unit). Static and
dynamic light scattering reveals that the overall radius of the chain
increases systematically with graft density, in a manner in excellent
agreement with theory. As the contour length remains unchanged, it
is apparent that grafting leads to an increase in the persistence
length of this semiflexible copolymer, by as much as a factor of 4.
These results represent the first experimental verification of the
excluded volume theory at low grafting densities, and demonstrate
a promising synthetic platform for systematically increasing the persistence
length of a model semiflexible, water-soluble polymer.