LAUSR

Abstract The nitroxide-mediated polymerisation (NMP) of poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate (PEGMA) with a small amount of styrene (S) as a comonomer was performed in water at 90 °C using 2,2'-azobis [2-(2-imidazolin-2-yl)propane]dihydrochloride (VA-044) as initiator and N - tert -butyl- N -(1-diethylphosphono-2,2-dimethylpropyl) nitroxide (SG1) as nitroxide. The reaction was well-controlled and exhibited excellent livingness as evidenced by low dispersity and evolution of the molar mass distribution. The resultant macroalkoxyamine was then employed in the nitroxide-mediated polymerisation of 2-(diethylamino)ethyl methacrylate hydrochloride (DEAEMAH + Cl − ) with a small amount of acrylonitrile (AN) in water at 90 °C. The resulting poly (PEGMA- co -S)- b -poly (DEAEMAH + Cl − - co -AN) polymer chains were converted to diblock copolymer nanoparticles after neutralizing with base.