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Abstract Reversible addition‐fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization has proven itself as a powerful polymerization technique affording facile control of molecular weight, molecular weight distribution, architecture, and chain end groups ‐ while maintaining a high level of tolerance for solvent and monomer functional groups. RAFT is highly suited to water as a polymerization solvent, with aqueous RAFT now utilized for applications such as controlled synthesis of ultra‐high molecular weight polymers, polymerization induced self‐assembly, and biocompatible polymerizations, among others. Water as a solvent represents a non‐toxic, cheap, and environmentally friendly alternative to organic solvents traditionally utilized for polymerizations. This, coupled with the benefits of RAFT polymerization, makes for a powerful combination in polymer science. This perspective provides a historical account of the initial developments of aqueous RAFT polymerization at the University of Southern Mississippi from the McCormick Research Group, details practical considerations for conducting aqueous RAFT polymerizations, and highlights some of the recent advances aqueous RAFT polymerization can provide. Finally, some of the future opportunities that this versatile polymerization technique in an aqueous environment can offer are discussed, and it is anticipated that the aqueous RAFT polymerization field will continue to realize these, and other exciting opportunities into the future.
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This content will become publicly available on January 1, 2026
Multifunctional Fluorinated Copolymer Nanoparticles via a Cationic Dendritic‐Based Macromolecular RAFT‐CTA
Abstract As the field of theranostics expands, an imminent need arises for multifaceted polymer‐based nanotechnologies for clinical application. In this work, reversible addition‐fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) aqueous emulsion polymerization is used to form19F‐containing amphiphilic hybrid block copolymers (HBCs). Employing a cationic dendritic macromolecular chain transfer agent (mCTA), polymer frameworks comprised of chemically distinctive blocks of differing architectures (i.e., dendritic and grafted/linear) are strategically designed and synthesized. In aqueous media, self‐assembled polymer nanoparticles (PNPs) are formed. Their physicochemical properties and their potential as biomaterials for MRI applications are assessed. By showcasing a newly established mCTA and using these resulting PNPs as imaging probes, the work expands the design space of RAFT polymerization in biomedical research, paving the way for the development of more effective and versatile MRI imaging tools.
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- PAR ID:
- 10632132
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Macromolecular Chemistry and Physics
- Volume:
- 226
- Issue:
- 2
- ISSN:
- 1022-1352
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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