| This thesis describes the extension of a valuable polymerization method, atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP), to synthesize the star polymer economically. This polymerization method can be applied to aqueous dispersed media. Several parameters were tested during the synthesis of star polymers in the solution condition, including the different arm lengths, different ratios of arms to cross-linkers, and different densities of cross-linked cores in Chapter 1. In Chapter 2, microemulsion, a new synthetic method recently developed by our group is discussed. The synthesis of star polymers in the microemulsion system was explored, and various synthetic conditions were used during this process. At the same time, click reaction was used in this project to test the loading efficiency of star polymers. |
