Segregation of Coronal Chains in Micelles Formed by Supramolecular Interactions

Abstract

Summary: Spherical micelles have been formed by mixing, in DMF, a poly(styrene)‐block‐poly(2‐vinylpyridine)‐block‐poly(ethylene oxide) (PS‐block‐P2VP‐block‐PEO) triblock copolymer with either poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) or a tapered triblock copolymer consisting of a PAA central block and PEO macromonomer‐based outer blocks. Noncovalent interactions between PAA and P2VP result in the micellar core while the outer corona contains both PS and PEO chains. Segregation of the coronal chains is observed when the tapered copolymer is used.Inclusion of comb‐like chains with short PEO teeth in the corona triggers the nanophase segregation of PS and PEO as illustrated here (PS = polystyrene; PEO = poly(ethylene oxide)).imageInclusion of comb‐like chains with short PEO teeth in the corona triggers the nanophase segregation of PS and PEO as illustrated here (PS = polystyrene; PEO = poly(ethylene oxide)).

Electrostatic hierarchical co-assembly in aqueous solutions of two oppositely charged double hydrophilic diblock copolymers

“…[47][48][49][50]) or corona-forming blocks (see for example Refs. [51][52][53]). Finally, we would like to point out that self-consistent field calculations on bimodal (bidisperse) brushes (polymer brushes consisting of two types of polymers differing only in size; that is, identical in chemical composition) have demonstrated that patchy brushes can arise merely as a result of a distinct difference in polymer block length [54]; that is, without any chemical incompatibility as all polymer chains were of identical chemical composition.…”

Thermoresponsive Interpolymeric Complex Assemblies from Co‐association of Linear PAAc Homopolymers with PNIPAAm Segments Containing PAAc‐Based Graft Copolymer

“…In particular, polymeric complex micelles that possess hybrid cores and/or mixed coronas/shells upon co-association of two or more different copolymers by virtue of such non-covalent interactions as hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions have been widely investigated. [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] Structural characterization of stimuli-responsive complex micelles containing thermoresponsive polymer segments were the major focus of these studies.…”

Surface Phase Separation and Morphology of Stimuli Responsive Complex Micelles

“…Erhardt et al [5] synthesized two-faced ''Janus micelles'' with a hydrophobic and a hydrophilic hemisphere and investigated the aggregation of Janus micelles in solution and their interfacial properties. Liu and coworkers [6] and Gohy et al [7] prepared complex micelles with a mixed shell from Communication Complex micelles with a P4VP core surrounded by a mixed PNIPAM/PEG shell were prepared by comicellization of PNIPAM 93 -b-P4VP 58 and PEG 114 -b-P4VP 58 in aqueous solutions. Increasing the temperature above the LCST of the PNIPAM induced a phase separation of the mixed shell due to the collapse of the PNIPAM block.…”