Streamlining the Generation of Advanced Polymer Materials Through the Marriage of Automation and Multiblock Copolymer Synthesis in Emulsion.

Synthetic polymers are of paramount importance in modern life - an incredibly wide range of polymeric materials possessing an impressive variety of properties have been developed to date. The recent emergence of artificial intelligence and automation presents a great opportunity to significantly speed up discovery and development of the next generation of advanced polymeric materials. We have focused on the high-throughput automated synthesis of multiblock copolymers that comprise three or more distinct polymer segments of different monomer composition bonded in linear sequence.

Multiblock copolymer synthesis RAFT emulsion polymerization.

A multiblock copolymer is a polymer of a specific structure that consists of multiple covalently linked segments, each comprising a different monomer type. The control of the monomer sequence has often been described as the "holy grail" of synthetic polymer chemistry, with the ultimate goal being synthetic access to polymers of a "perfect" structure, where each monomeric building block is placed at a desired position along the polymer chain. Given that polymer properties are intimately linked to the microstructure and monomer distribution along the constituent chains, it goes without saying that there exist seemingly endless opportunities in terms of fine-tuning the properties of such materials by careful consideration of the length of each block, the number and order of blocks, and the inclusion of monomers with specific functional groups.

Electrochemically-Initiated RAFT Synthesis of Low Dispersity Multiblock Copolymers by Seeded Emulsion Polymerization.

We describe electrochemically initiated emulsion polymerization with reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (eRAFT) to form well-defined multiblock copolymers with low molar mass dispersity. We demonstrate the utility of our emulsion eRAFT process with the synthesis of low dispersity multiblock copolymers by seeded RAFT emulsion polymerization at ambient temperature (∼30 °C). Thus, a triblock, poly(butyl methacrylate)--polystyrene--poly(4-methylstyrene) [PBMA--PSt--PMS], and a tetrablock, poly(butyl methacrylate)--polystyrene--poly(styrene--butyl acrylate)--polystyrene [PBMA--PSt--P(BA--St)--PSt], were synthesized as free-flowing, colloidally stable latexes commencing with a surfactant-free poly(butyl methacrylate) macroRAFT agent seed latex.

Farmers' and veterinary surgeons' knowledge, perceptions and attitudes towards cattle abortion investigations in the UK.

Background: Cattle abortion can significantly affect farm productivity and be an important cause of economic loss on beef and dairy farms.

Method: A questionnaire-based survey, completed by 379 farmers and 134 veterinary surgeons from the UK and Ireland, investigated motivators and barriers towards abortion investigations and perceptions of cattle abortion. Participants were recruited using convenience sampling.

Exploitation of the Nanoreactor Concept for Efficient Synthesis of Multiblock Copolymers via MacroRAFT-Mediated Emulsion Polymerization.

Multiblock copolymers are a class of polymeric materials with a range of potential applications. We report here a strategy for the synthesis of multiblock copolymers based on methacrylates. Reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization is implemented as an emulsion polymerization to generate seed particles as nanoreactors, which can subsequently be employed in sequential RAFT emulsion polymerizations.