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Abstract:Precise control over the morphology and dimensions of block copolymer (BCP) micelles has attracted widespread interest due to the potential of this approach to generate functional nanostructures. Incorporation of liquid crystalline (LC) block can provide additional opportunities for varying micellar morphologies, but the formation of uniform micelles with controllable dimensions from LC BCPs has not yet been realized. Here, we report the preparation of monodisperse cylindrical micelles with a LC poly(2-(perfluorooctyl)ethyl methacrylate (PFMA) core via a fragmentationthermal annealing (F-TA) process, resembling the "self-seeding" process of crystalline BCP micelles. The average length of the cylinders increases with annealing temperature from 50 nm (at 35 °C) to 800 nm (at 75 °C) , with a narrow length distribution (Lw / Ln < 1.1). The cylinders exhibit end-to-end coupling behaviour at high concentration and after long-term aging. We also demonstrate the potential application of the cylinders with LC cores as a cargo-carrier by the successful incorporation of a hydrophobic fluorescent dye tagged with a fluorooctyl group.

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