Poly(2-alkyl-2-oxazoline)-Based Copolymer Library with a Thermoresponsive Behavior in Dodecane

Poly(2-oxazoline)s are an emerging class of polymersdue to theirhigh versatility and hence have proven to be beneficial in numerousapplications. The extensive study and interest in this polymer classis due to their great synthetic flexibility and good biocompatibility,resulting in the synthesis of extremely functional material, particularlyadvantageous in biomedical applications. Although the thermoresponsivebehavior of POx has been extensively studied in aqueous media, thereis only limited literature on polymers with temperature sensitivityand solubility in nonaqueous media. Herein, a systematic library of21 tunable copolymers based on unsaturated 2-fatty acid-2-oxazoline,2-phenyl-2-oxazoline, and 2-ethyl-2-oxazoline have been synthesized,and their thermal properties and solution behavior in aqueous andnonaqueous media have been investigated via DSC, TGA, and UV-vismeasurements, respectively. Finally, their ability as a dispersantfor carbonized materials in nonaqueous medium is evaluated using carbonblack.