Room temperature aqueous self-assembly of poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(4-vinyl pyridine) block copolymers: From spherical to worm-like micelles

Abstract

The solution self-assembly and the formation, at room temperature, of a wide range of nanostructures based on monomethyl ether poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(4-vinyl pyridine) (mPEG-b-P4VP) block copolymer is reported. Copolymers with different compositions and molecular weights were synthesized through Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization (ATRP) method. The solution self-assembly of the block copolymers was studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) for different solution pHs. It was found that the formation of non-spherical nanostructures, such as rod- and worm-like micelles can be easily achieved, at room temperature, by simply varying the molecular weight of the different segments as well as the mPEG to P4VP ratio in the block copolymer structure. Because P4VP segments are known to form strong complexes with metals, the nanostructures prepared in this manuscript can find innovative applications in the biomedical field and be used as nano-templates for inorganic materials.