Chang, I. HsiangI. HsiangChangLu, Hung HsunHung HsunLuPing, HsinHsinPingChang, Chun WeiChun WeiChangCHI-HOW PENG2024-04-092024-04-092023-05-0100094536https://scholars.lib.ntu.edu.tw/handle/123456789/641826Cobalt-mediated radical polymerization (CMRP) has enabled the polymerization of a wide range of monomers with predictable molecular parameters and well-defined compositions and architectures. However, the synthesis of hydrophilic polymers by CMRP directly in the aqueous phase is still challenging. Herein, a handy cobalt complex was developed to perform CMRP of N-vinylpyrrolidone (NVP), 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate (HEA), and N,N-dimethylacrylamide (DMA) with linearly increased molecular weight, low polydispersity values, and smoothly shifted gel permeation chromatography (GPC) traces. The chain extensions of NVP, HEA, and DMA revealed the well chain-end fidelity for the synthesis of block copolymers. Moreover, the poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone)-block-poly(vinyl acetate) (PVP-b-PVAc) amphiphilic block copolymer colloidal solution was achieved directly in aqueous phase by cobalt-mediated radical polymerization-induced self-assembly (CMR-PISA), forming the nanoparticles consisting of a hydrophilic PVP corona and a hydrophobic PVAc core. This new mediator opens the opportunity for the synthesis of various hydrophilic (co)polymers in an environmentally friendly manner.encobalt-mediated radical polymerization | polymerization-induced self-assembly | water-soluble mediator[SDGs]SDG15journal article10.1002/jccs.2023000972-s2.0-85152000451https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/85152000451