Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Expanding The Polymer Zwitterion Library – Novel Phosphonium-Based Polymer Zwitterions And Analogous Structures, Marcel U. Brown

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation encompasses the synthesis, characterization and application of novel polymer zwitterions that significantly expand the library of available zwitterionic polymers. Their facile synthesis is facilitated by the preparation of a novel functional sultone precursor molecule, which can be ring-opened by commercially available phosphine, amine and sulfide nucleophiles, affording phosphonium, ammonium or sulfonium sulfonate monomers, respectively. Most notably, this work describes the invention of phosphonium-based polymer zwitterions, establishing a new class of zwitterionic polymer structures with unique solution and interfacial properties. Furthermore, the incorporation of these phosphonium sulfonates into block copolymer architectures with conventional polymer zwitterions, and the resulting switchable …

Functional Bottlebrush Polymer Additives For Thin Films And Coatings, Travis S. Laws

Doctoral Dissertations

Bottlebrush polymers are a class of highly branched polymers consisting of polymeric side chains that are densely grafted to a linear backbone. Their highly branched architecture results in surface enrichment across a broad range of materials. The goal of my research has been centered around the design of functional bottlebrush polymers and their use as surface active additives in blend films and coatings.

In the first chapter, we examine the segregation behavior of polystyrene bottlebrushes that are blended with linear polystyrene. We systematically vary the lengths of the bottlebrush backbone (Nb), side-chain (Nsc), and the linear matrix (Nm) in order …

Developing Injectable And Implantable Polymer Zwitterion Platforms For Glioblastoma Treatment, Sarah Ward

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation describes the synthesis, characterization, and application of novel polymer zwitterion-drug conjugates intended for treating glioblastoma, with a particular focus on phosphorylcholine (PC) and temozolomide (TMZ). Using versatile TMZ-containing monomers, injectable polymer prodrugs and implantable polymeric hydrogels were prepared over a broad range of drug incorporations with tunable properties, making them ideally suited for further in vivo and clinical evaluations. The work presented here greatly expands the knowledge base of TMZ formulations and gives rise to several routes which circumvent the challenges associated with its use. Chapter 2 describes the incorporation of a novel TMZ-methacrylate monomer into random and …