Self-assembly and chiroptical property of poly(N-acryloyl-l-amino acid) grafted celluloses synthesized by RAFT polymerization

Three amphiphilic poly( N -acryloyl- l -amino acid) grafted celluloses were prepared by RAFT polymerization of N -acryloyl- l -amino acid, where amino acid is alanine, proline or glutamic acid, onto cellulose backbones. The chemical structure and solution properties of the brush copolymers were characterized with FTIR, NMR and wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD). The thermal stability of the brush copolymers was estimated by thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). Circular dichroism (CD) and specific rotation measurements confirmed that these grafted celluloses had characteristic chiroptical properties. The amphiphilic brush copolymers self-assembled into micelles in the aqueous solution as confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) analyses. The micellar aggregates showed a tunable pH-responsive property and disaggregated to form unimolecular micelles at higher pH in diluted solutions. The brush copolymers have potential applications in controlled drug release and high-performance liquid chromatography, and so forth.