Abstract
In this work, the self-assembly of a series of amphiphilic polystyrene-b-polyglycidol (PS-b-PGL) diblock copolymers in dioxane and dioxane/water mixtures is presented. The PS-b-PGL have an average degree of polymerization (DP) of PS block equal to 29 units and varied degrees of polymerization for the glycidol segments with DPs of 13, 42, 69 and 117. In dioxane, amphiphilic diblock copolymers form micelles with the hydrophilic PGL placed in the core. Critical micelle concentration (CMC) was determined based on the intensity of scattered light vs. concentration. The micelle size was measured by dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy. Also, the behaviour of the copolymer was studied in water/dioxane solutions by following the changes of scattered light intensity with the addition of water to the system. Critical water content (CWC) of the studied systems decreased as the initial PS-b-PGL concentration in dioxane increased. This process was accompanied by a decrease in the size of aggregate formed. For a given initial copolymer concentration, the size of copolymer aggregates decreased linearly with increasing the length of the PGL block
Highlights
In recent years, the solution behaviour and applications of amphiphilic block copolymers have been intensively studied
Information about PS-b-PGL copolymers used in this study are presented in critical micelle concentration (CMC) in Dioxane [mg/mL]
Mn (GPC) —molar masses obtained from GPC-MALLS. b DPGPC —degree of polymerization of PS and PGL blocks calculated based on Mn of PS macroinitiator and Mn (GPC) of the copolymer
Summary
The solution behaviour and applications of amphiphilic block copolymers have been intensively studied. Amphiphilic block copolymers spontaneously self-assemble in water and in non-polar solvents, which are good solvents for hydrophilic and hydrophobic blocks, respectively. Core-corona micelles formed in water or, in a broader sense, in good solvents for the hydrophilic blocks, are called regular. Micelles formed in non-solvents for the hydrophilic block are called “reverse” micelles with cores composed of hydrophilic chains. Aggregation of amphiphilic block copolymers is governed by their chemical structure and the length of blocks as well as by solution parameters. The formation of diverse morphologies with high ordering of copolymer chains such as cylinders, vesicles, wormlike structures, bilayers, and others have been reported [1,2,3,4]. The use of block copolymer colloidal systems has been reported in various fields like controlled drug delivery [6,7], carriers of biological markers [8], separation processes [4], and many others
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