Amphiphilic poly(2‐alkyl‐2‐oxazoline) diblock copolymers of 2‐methyl‐2‐oxazoline (MOx) building the hydrophilic block and either 2‐nonyl‐2‐oxazoline (NOx) for the hydrophobic or 2‐(1H,1H′,2H,2H′‐perfluorohexyl)‐2‐oxazoline (FOx) for the fluorophilic block were synthesized by sequential living cationic polymerization. The polymer amphiphiles form core/shell micelles in aqueous solution as evidenced using small‐angle neutron scattering (SANS). Whereas the diblock copolymer micelles with a hydrophobic NOxn block are spherical, the micelles with the fluorophilic FOxn are slightly elongated, as observed by SANS and TEM. In water, the micelles with fluorophilic and lipophilic cores do not mix, but coexist.
Amphiphilic diblock copolymers from poly(2‐oxazoline)s in aqueous solution can form micelles. By means of small‐angle neutron scattering, we have found that poly[(n‐nonyl‐2‐oxazoline)‐b‐(methyl‐2‐oxazoline)] {P[(NOx)‐b‐(MOx)]} diblock copolymers in aqueous solution form micelles of core‐shell type. We have determined the core radius and the shell thickness of the micelles. Comparing the values obtained to the stretched lengths of the blocks leads to the conclusion that the P(NOx) core blocks are stretched, whereas the P(MOx) shell blocks are coiled.
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