Thermoresponsive Amphiphilic Block Copolymer-Stablilized Gold Nanoparticles: Synthesis and High Catalytic Properties

A series of novel well-defined 8-hydroxyquinoline (HQ)-containing thermoresponsive amphiphilic diblock copolymers {poly(styrene-co-5-(2-methacryloylethyloxy-methyl)-8-quinolinol)-b-poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) P(St-co-MQ)-b-PNIPAm (P1,2), P(NIPAm-co-MQ)-b-PSt (P3,4)} and triblock copolymer poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-b-poly(methyl-methacrylate-co-5-(2-methacryloylethyloxymethyl)-8-quinolinol)-b-polystyrene PNIPAm-b-P(MMA-co-MQ)-b-PSt (P5) were prepared by reversible addition–fragmentation chain-transfer (RAFT) polymerization, and their self-assembly behaviors were studied. Block copolymer P1–P5-stabilized gold nanoparticles (Au@P1–Au@P5) with a small size and a narrow distribution were obtained through the in situ reduction of gold precursors in an aqueous solution of polymer micelles with HQ as the coordination groups. The resulting Au@P nanohybrids possessed excellent catalytic activity for the reduction of nitrophenols using NaBH4. The size, morphology, and surface chemistry of Au NPs could be controlle...