Synthesis and Triggered Reversible Self-Assembly of the "Smart" Polymer Poly(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate)

Abstract

"Smart" polymers, which respond to different stimuli such as pH, temperature, and ionic strength, can be synthesized and self-assembled for a wide range of potential applications, such as drug delivery and cosmetics. A variety of stimuli-responsive polymers with targeted molecular weight and chemical functionality have been synthesized previously using Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization (ATRP). In this study "smart" homopolymer poly((2-dimethylamino) ethyl methacrylate)(PDMAEMA) was synthesized by ATRP and characterized the homopolymer by NMR, GPC, and ESI-MS.