FORMATION OF FLOWER-LIKE AGGREGATES FROM SELF-ASSEMBLING OF MICELLES WITH PEO SHELLS AND CROSS-LINKED POLYACRYLAMIDE CORES

Abstract

Amphiphilic block copolymers, poly(ethylene oxide)-b-poly(N-acryloxysuccinimide) (PEO-b-PNAS) with various molecular weights have been successfully synthesized by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of NAS using functionalized PEO (PEO-Br) as ATRP macroinitiator. The self-assembling of the block copolymers in water, which is a good solvent for PEO and a non-solvent for PNAS, yielded spherical core-shell micelles with PNAS as core and PEO as shell. The cross-linked reaction of oxysuccinimide in PNAS chains with ethylenediamine occurred in the core of micelles, and the core cross-linked micelles were formed. The flower-like and dendritic aggregates were formed by self-assembling of the core cross-linked micelles on the glass slides or silicon wafers. Longer PNAS block in the block copolymers and higher evaporation temperature formed bigger spherical particles. The optical microscope was used to follow the formation and growth of the flower-like aggregates from the colloidal solution and the main driving forces for the self-assembling are solution fluid and interactions between PEO chains.