Water-soluble nanospheres of poly(2-cinnamoylethyl methacrylate)-block-poly(acrylic acid)

Poly(2-cinnamoylethyl methacrylate)-block-poly(acrylic acid)(PCEMA-b-PAA), with PCEMA photo-cross-linkable and PAA water soluble, were synthesized and characterized. The polymer formed spherical micelles in DMF/water with PCEMA as the core and PAA as the corona. The photo-crosslinking of the micelles yielded water-soluble nanospheres. The nanospheres were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and light scattering. Dynamic light-scattering studies revealed that the nanospheres could readily take up organics in water. Coagulation of the nanospheres could be induced by the addition of divalent cations. These properties may allow the use of the nanospheres as the traps for organics in contaminated waters.