| Abstract
| - The homopolymerization of two hydroxy-functional monomers, glycerol monomethacrylate[GMA] and 2-hydroxypropyl methacrylate [HPMA], has been investigated using ATRP chemistry inaqueous, methanolic, or water/methanol solution. In methanol, both monomers are polymerized to highconversion with reasonably good control (final polydispersities are 1.30 and 1.09 for GMA and HPMA,respectively) within a few hours at 20 °C. “Self-blocking” chain growth experiments indicate good livingcharacter under these conditions. Addition of water leads to much more rapid polymerizations in bothcases, but high polydispersities (e.g., Mw/Mn = 1.90 for a 50/50 water/methanol mixture) were alwaysobtained with GMA. With HPMA, relatively low polydispersities (Mw/Mn = 1.17) can be achieved underthe same conditions. Several new diblock copolymers were synthesized using poly(alkylene oxide)-basedmacroinitiators. One of these hydrophilic−hydrophobic diblocks proved to be thermoresponsive andaggregated reversibly in aqueous media.
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