Amphiphilic Diblock Copolymer Micelles Research Articles

A Simple Route to Hierarchical Rings of Diblock Copolymer Micelles.

A hierarchically assembled necklace composed of amphiphilic diblock copolymer micelles is exquisitely produced by capitalizing on two concurrent self-assembly processes at different scales (i.e., "breath figure" strategy of diblock copolymer micelles solution evaporating in humid air to yield rings at the microscopic scale in conjunction with self-assembly of diblock copolymer micelles within individual ring at the nanometer scale). Intriguingly, hierarchical rings of diblock copolymer micelles comprising gold precursors or fluorescent dyes can also be crafted using this strategy. Upon exposure to hydrophilic block-selective solvent, core-corona inversion of micelles within the microscopic rings occurs. In contrast, such inversion is inhibited when the micelles are impregnated by gold precursors. This simple yet effective strategy for engineering diblock copolymer micelles may be extended to produce hierarchically assembled structures consisting of other functional block copolymers (e.g., stimuli-responsive block copolymer) and nanocrystals (e.g., semiconducting, magnetic, ferroelectric, etc.) with unique catalytic, magnetic, ferroelectric, optical, electronic, and optoelectronic properties.

Combination Loading of Doxorubicin and Resveratrol in Polymeric Micelles for Increased Loading Efficiency and Efficacy.

Combined loading of doxorubicin (DOX) and resveratrol (RSV) in polymeric micelles enabled an increased loading of DOX into a micellar drug delivery system. Herein, we report the coloading of DOX and RSV in amphiphilic diblock copolymer micelles of poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(ε-caprolactone) (PEG-b-PCL) and poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(γ-benzyl-ε-caprolactone) (PEG-b-PBCL) for which an increase in the loading efficiency and increased in vitro cytotoxicity was observed. The increased loading was attributed to the favorable interactions of DOX and RSV as well as to the interaction with benzyl substituents of PEG-b-PBCL diblock copolymer micelles. Combination loaded micelles made of PEG-b-PBCL diblock copolymer showed a dramatic improvement in DOX loading in comparison to DOX-only loaded PEG-b-PBCL with an increase in encapsulation efficiency of DOX from 31.0 to 87.7%. Combination loaded micelles also showed increased cytotoxicity to HeLa cells as compared to that of DOX-only loaded micelles. Optimization of the combination loading, size and morphology, drug release, and cellular studies is also reported here. Combination loading was shown to improve the loading capacity and efficiency of both systems and shows promise to improve loading of DOX in polymer micelle systems regardless of the polymer used.

Fast and effective quantum-dots encapsulation and protection in PEO based photo-cross-linked micelles

Cadmium-based quantum dots (QDs) were easily, quickly and efficiently transferred from an organic medium to water without modification of their surface chemistry by the simple emulsion/solvent evaporation technique using micelles of amphiphilic diblock copolymers based on poly(ethylene oxide) and poly(2-methacryloyloxyethyl acrylate) (PEO-b-PMEA) as hosts. The resulting hybrid micelles were stabilized very rapidly by photo-cross-linking the hydrophobic core around the QDs. The encapsulation and photo-cross-linking process were shown to barely affect the photoluminescence properties. Grafting a short octyl chain at the end of the hydrophobic block enhanced both the colloidal stability of the QDs dispersed in water and prevented the quenching of their fluorescence by copper ions. Grafting a longer hexadecyl chain at the end of the PMEA block decreased the efficiency of the corona cross-linking and led to poorer stabilization and protection.

Engineering 3D Nanoplasmonic Assemblies for High Performance Spectroscopic Sensing.

We demonstrate the fabrication of plasmonic sensors that comprise gold nanopillar arrays exhibiting high surface areas, and narrow gaps, through self-assembly of amphiphilic diblock copolymer micelles on silicon substrates. Silicon nanopillars with high integrity over arbitrary large areas are obtained using copolymer micelles as lithographic templates. The gaps between metal features are controlled by varying the thickness of the evaporated gold. The resulting gold metal nanopillar arrays exhibit an engineered surface topography, together with uniform and controlled separations down to sub-10 nm suitable for highly sensitive detection of molecular analytes by Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS). The significance of the approach is demonstrated through the control exercised at each step, including template preparation and pattern-transfer steps. The approach is a promising means to address trade-offs between resolutions, throughput, and performance in the fabrication of nanoplasmonic assemblies for sensing applications.

Clustering of CdSe/CdS Quantum Dot/Quantum Rods into Micelles Can Form Bright, Non-blinking, Stable, and Biocompatible Probes.

We investigate clustered CdSe/CdS quantum dots/quantum rods, ranging from single to multiple encapsulated rods within amphiphilic diblock copolymer micelles, by time-resolved optical spectroscopy. The effect of the clustering and the cluster size on the optical properties is addressed. The clusters are bright and stable and show no blinking while retaining the fundamental optical properties of the individual quantum dots/quantum rods. Cell studies show neither unspecific uptake nor morphological changes of the cells, despite the increased sizes of the clusters.

Sequential pH-dependent adsorption of ionic amphiphilic diblock copolymer micelles and choline oxidase onto conductive substrates: toward the design of biosensors.

This work examines the fabrication regime and the properties of polymer-enzyme thin-films adsorbed onto conductive substrates (graphite or gold). The films are formed via two-steps, sequential adsorption of poly(n-butylmethacrylate)-block-poly(N,N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate) (PnBMA-b-PDMAEMA) diblock copolymer micelles (1st step of adsorption), followed by the enzyme choline oxidase (ChO) (2nd step of adsorption). The solution properties of both adsorbed components are studied and the pH-dependent step-by-step fabrication of polymer-enzyme biosensor coatings reveals rather drastic differences in their enzymatic activities in dependence on the pH of both adsorption steps. The resulting hybrid thin-films represent highly active biosensors for choline with a low detection limit of 30 nM and a good linearity in a range between 30 nM and 100 μM. The sensitivity is found to be 175 μA mM(-1) cm(-2) and the operational stability of the polymer-enzyme thin-films can be additionally improved via enzyme-to-enzyme crosslinking with glutaraldehyde.

Molecular Exchange Kinetics of Diblock Copolymer Micelles Monitored by Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy.

We investigated the equilibrium chain-exchange kinetics of amphiphilic diblock copolymer micelles, using a new method based on fluorescence correlation spectroscopy. The micelles were formed from polystyrene-block-poly[oligo(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate] (PS-POEGMA) in different solvents and studied at various temperatures. This linear-brush copolymer was chosen as a model system, forming micelles with short and bulky corona. Depending on the applied solvent, fast exchange could be observed even at temperatures well below the nominal glass transition of the core-forming PS block. The effect is caused by swelling of the core and allows extensive tuning of the chain-exchange rate by adding to the system minor amounts of good or bad solvent for the core block.

Crafting Threads of Diblock Copolymer Micelles via Flow-Enabled Self-Assembly

Hierarchically assembled amphiphilic diblock copolymer micelles were exquisitely crafted over large areas by capitalizing on two concurrent self-assembling processes at different length scales, namely, the periodic threads composed of a monolayer or a bilayer of diblock copolymer micelles precisely positioned by flow-enabled self-assembly (FESA) on the microscopic scale and the self-assembly of amphiphilic diblock copolymer micelles into ordered arrays within an individual thread on the nanometer scale. A minimum spacing between two adjacent threads λmin was observed. A model was proposed to rationalize the relationship between the thread width and λmin. Such FESA of diblock copolymer micelles is remarkably controllable and easy to implement. It opens up possibilities for lithography-free positioning and patterning of diblock copolymer micelles for various applications in template fabrication of periodic inorganic nanostructures, nanoelectronics, optoelectronics, magnetic devices, and biotechnology.

Controlled Hydrophobic Functionalization of Natural Fibers through Self-Assembly of Amphiphilic Diblock Copolymer Micelles

The functionalization of natural fibers is an important task that has recently received considerable attention. We investigated the formation of a hydrophobic layer from amphiphilic diblock copolymer micelles [polystyrene-block-poly(N-methyl-4-vinyl pyridinium iodide)] on natural fibers and on a model surface (mica). A series of micelles were prepared. The micelles were characterized by using cryoscopic TEM and light scattering, and their hydrophobization capability was studied through contact angle measurements, water adsorption, and Raman imaging. Mild heat treatment (130 °C) was used to increase the hydrophobization capability of the micelles. The results showed that the micelles could not hydrophobize a model surface, but could render the natural fibers water repellent both with and without heat treatment. This effect was systematically studied by varying the composition of the constituent blocks. The results showed that the micelle size (and the molecular weight of the constituent diblock copolymers) was the most important parameter, whereas the cationic (hydrophilic) part played only a minor role. We hypothesized that the hydrophobization effect could be attributed to a combination of the micelle size and the shrinkage of the natural fibers upon drying. The shrinking caused the roughness to increase on the fiber surface, which resulted in a rearrangement of the self- assembled layer in the wet state. Consequently, the fibers became hydrophobic through the roughness effects at multiple length scales. Mild heat treatment melted the micelle core and decreased the minimum size necessary for hydrophobization.

Thiol and pH dual-responsive dynamic covalent shell cross-linked micelles for triggered release of chemotherapeutic drugs

We report on the fabrication of dynamic covalent shell cross-linked (SCL) micelles of amphiphilic diblock copolymers functionalized with aldehyde moieties in the hydrophilic block by utilizing difunctional crosslinkers cleavable in response to pH and thiols. Well-defined amphiphilic diblock copolymer, PCL-b-P(OEGMA-co-MAEBA), was synthesized via ring opening polymerization (ROP) of ε-caprolactone (CL) and atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of oligo(ethylene glycol) monomethyl ether methacrylate (OEGMA) and p-(methacryloxyethoxy)benzaldehyde (MAEBA) comonomers. In aqueous solution, the diblock copolymer self-assembles into micelles consisting of hydrophobic PCL cores and hydrophilic P(OEGMA-co-MAEBA) coronas covalently anchored with aldehyde groups. The subsequent shell cross-linking reaction was conducted at pH 6.2 upon addition of difunctional dithiolbis(propanoic dihydrazide) (DTP). The formation of dynamic acylhydrazone cross-linking linkages was facilitated under the catalysis of aniline. The obtained SCL micelles can be de-crosslinked via two biologically relevant modes, namely, acidic pH-triggered cleavage of acylhydrazone bonds into aldehyde and hydrazide and thiol-triggered cleavage of disulfide linkages, which have been utilized for triggered release of physically encapsulated chemotherapeutic drugs. The dual-responsive dynamic covalent SCL micelles were examined by dynamic laser light scattering (LLS), 1H NMR, Ellman's assay, and enzymatic degradation tests. In addition, camptothecin (CPT)-loaded SCL micelles were used to investigate thiol and pH-modulated CPT release profiles. Compared with CPT-loaded non-cross-linked (NCL) micelles, CPT-loaded SCL micelles can largely minimize drug leakage under physiological conditions, whilst exhibiting accelerated drug release under mildly acidic or thiol-rich microenvironments, which are relevant to those of acidic organelles (endosomes and lysosomes) or cytosol within tumor cells. Cell cytotoxicity studies revealed that drug-free SCL micelles are almost nontoxic, whereas CPT-loaded SCL micelles can efficiently deliver chemotherapeutic drug (CPT) into HepG2 cells, leading to considerable nucleic accumulation at extended incubation duration. The reported dynamic covalent shell cross-linking strategy can exert intricate control concerning the micellar stability and the release profile of encapsulated drugs in response to biological microenvironments, which augurs well for their potential use as novel smart nanocarriers for drug delivery in cancer chemotherapy.

Light-Triggered Concomitant Enhancement of Magnetic Resonance Imaging Contrast Performance and Drug Release Rate of Functionalized Amphiphilic Diblock Copolymer Micelles

Polymeric drug nanocarriers integrated with diagnostic and sensing functions are capable of in situ monitoring the biodistribution of chemotherapeutic drugs and imaging/contrasting agents, which enables the establishment of image-guided personalized cancer therapeutic protocols. Responsive multifunctional theranostic nanocarriers possessing external stimuli-tunable drug release rates and imaging signal intensities represent another promising direction in this field. In this work, we fabricated responsive amphiphilic diblock copolymer micelles exhibiting light-triggered hydrophobic-hydrophilic transition within micellar cores and the concomitant enhancement of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging contrast performance and release rate of physically encapsulated hydrophobic drugs. POEGMA-b-P(NIPAM-co-NBA-co-Gd) diblock copolymer covalently labeled with Gd(3+) complex (Gd) in the light-responsive block was synthesized at first, where OEGMA, NIPAM, and NBA are oligo(ethylene glycol) monomethyl ether methacrylate, N-isopropylacrylamide, and o-nitrobenzyl acrylate, respectively. The amphiphilic diblock copolymer spontaneously self-assembles in aqueous solution into micellar nanoparticles possessing hydrophobic P(NIPAM-co-NBA-co-Gd) cores and hydrophilic POEGMA coronas, which can physically encapsulate doxorubicin (Dox) as a model chemotherapeutic drug. Upon UV irradiation, hydrophobic NBA moieties within micellar cores transform into hydrophilic carboxyl derivatives, triggering micelle microstructural changes and core swelling. During this process, the microenvironment surrounding Gd(3+) complexes was subjected to a transition from being hydrophobic to hydrophilic, leading to the enhancement of MR imaging contrast performance, that is, ~1.9-fold increase in longitudinal relaxivity (r(1)). In addition, the release rate of encapsulated Dox was also enhanced (~65% of Dox release in 12 h upon UV irradiation versus ~47% Dox release in 25 h for the control). The reported strategy of light-triggered coenhancement of MR imaging contrast performance and drug release profiles represents a general route to the construction of next generation smart polymeric theranostic nanocarriers.

Diblock copolymer micellar lithography: 1. Intermicellar interactions and pathways for control of monomicellar film structure

The formation of reverse micelles of amphiphilic diblock copolymers of styrene and 2-vinylpyridine in selective (for one of the blocks) solvent (toluene) is studied by dynamic light scattering and atomic force and transmission electron microscopies, as well as by absorption spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy techniques. It is revealed that the behavior of micelles of block copolymers with different ratios of block lengths and absolute molecular masses in solution is fundamentally different depending on the amount of added metal salt. The possibility of controlled variations in the characteristic sizes of two-dimensional ordered ensembles of micelles on the surface of silicon wafers is demonstrated. It is shown that, in some cases, the distance between the centers of micelles in ensemble depends on the concentration of copolymer solution and the amount of metal salt preliminarily added to the solution.

Structural and thermodynamic aspects of the cylinder-to-sphere transition in amphiphilic diblock copolymer micelles

The structure of diblock copolymers micelles depends on a delicate balance of thermodynamic forces driving the system towards equilibrium and kinetic factors which limit the systems' exploration of the phase space. The factors governing the morphological transition between cylindrical and spherical micelles are related to a fine balance between entropic forces from chains within the micellar core and corona. In order to understand and control these structures, it is important to gain insight into the fundamental thermodynamic driving forces governing the structure and answer fundamental questions concerning its equilibrium nature. In this work we aim to understand the relationship between thermodynamics and morphological transitions by investigating the detailed structure of a system undergoing a cylinder-to-sphere transition. We focus on the structural properties of micelles constituted of poly(ethylene-alt-propylene)–poly(ethylene oxide) (PEP1–PEO1, the numbers indicate the molar mass in kg/mole) diblock copolymers in dimethylformamide (DMF)/water solvent mixtures. This system is ideal for fundamental studies as it represents a classical well-segregated block copolymer micelle system where the interfacial tension can be controlled in detail without significantly changing other thermodynamic properties. Using small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) it is shown that the system undergoes a cylinder-to-sphere transition upon addition of DMF which lowers the interfacial tension. By applying a detailed thermodynamic model we show that both the dependence of the structural parameters with the interfacial tension as well as the morphological transition can be quantitatively understood. The transition itself is governed by the interfacial tension which dictates the stretching of chains within both corona and core. At high interfacial tensions (in water-rich solutions) discrepancies between structural data and predictions from the thermodynamic model are observed. A qualitative comparison with some preliminary results on the chain exchange kinetics in the system show that these deviations coincide with the region where this equilibration mechanism is not active, i.e. when the kinetics are frozen at high interfacial tensions.

Local mobility and structure of cationic amphiphilic diblock copolymer micelles in aqueous solutions

The local mobility and organization of micelles formed by the cationic diblock copolymer PS-poly(N-ethyl-4-vinylpyridinium bromide) in dilute aqueous solutions is studied by spin-probe ESR spectroscopy. Micelles composed of a hydrophobic PS core and a lyophilizing polyelectrolyte corona are prepared by two methods: dialysis from a nonselective solvent and direct dispersion of the diblock copolymer in water under long-term heating. Velocity-sedimentation studies and static and dynamic light-scattering measurements show that the micelles obtained by dialysis have smaller mean hydrodynamic sizes and weight-average molecular masses and are less polydisperse than micelles prepared by direct dispersion. The ESR spectra of spin probes localized in micelles of both types are found to be identical. This finding suggests that their local structure is independent of the dispersion procedure and molecular-mass characteristics. Probes are localized in the outer layer of the PS core near the core/shell boundary, and their local mobility is a factor of ∼2 higher than the local mobility of probes in the phase of the solid PS. It is inferred that the structure of the outer layer of the PS core in micelles is looser than the structure of PS in the solid phase. The localization sites of spin probes are partially penetrated by water.

Path-Dependent Morphology and Relaxation Kinetics of Highly Amphiphilic Diblock Copolymer Micelles in Ionic Liquids

The role of kinetics in the formation and relaxation of highly amphiphilic diblock copolymer micelles in ionic liquids is analyzed. In particular, we studied the morphology of poly(butadiene)−poly(ethylene oxide) (PB−PEO) block copolymer micelles dispersed in 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethyl sulfonyl)imide [EMI][TFSI] and prepared via two methodologies: direct dissolution (DD) and cosolvent-aided dissolution (CS). Dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurements reveal that the former procedure leads to large and polydisperse aggregates that relax upon annealing at high temperatures into smaller and narrowly distributed, steady-state spherical micelles, while the latter protocol results in smaller, monodisperse micelles that retain their size upon prolonged thermal treatment. Remarkably, the CS micelles are only half the size of the annealed DD micelles. The development of distinct, steady-state micellar distributions through the two preparation protocols is consistently observed when changing the selectivity of the solvent (by changing the cation to 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium) or by substituting the core-forming PB block for a polystyrene chain. Two different distributions were also observed when changing the solubility of the copolymer through variation of the corona block length. A better understanding of the underlying mechanism of DD-micelle relaxation is obtained by measuring the temperature-dependent relaxation of the micelles using DLS. In all cases the relaxation is well described by an Avrami-type relaxation function with exponent n = 2. The resulting relaxation times decrease with increasing copolymer concentration, suggesting that fusion/fission is the main mechanism of DD-micelle relaxation, and with annealing temperature. The results are in agreement with complementary small-angle neutron scattering experiments that reveal no single chain exchange between steady-state PB−PEO micelles in the imidazolium-based ionic liquid, up to at least 200 °C.

Water-Soluble Interpolyelectrolyte Complexes of Polyisobutylene-block-Poly(methacrylic acid) Micelles: Formation and Properties

We report on interpolyelectrolyte complexes (IPECs) formed by micelles of ionic amphiphilic diblock copolymers with polyisobutylene (PIB) and poly(sodium methacrylate) (PMANa) blocks interacting with quaternized poly(4-vinylpyridine) (P4VPQ). The interpolyelectrolyte complexation was followed by turbidimetry and small angle neutron scattering (SANS). The data obtained by means of a combination of SANS, dynamic light scattering (DLS), and cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM) provide evidence on the core-shell-corona structure of the complex species with the shell assembled from fragments of electrostatically bound PMANa and quaternized P4VPQ fragments, original PIBx-b-PMAAy micelles apparently playing a lyophilizing part. The complex formation is followed by potentiometric titration as well. This process is initially kinetically controlled. In the second step larger aggregates rearrange in favor of smaller complexes with core-shell-corona structure, which are thermodynamically more stable. An increase in ionic strength of the solution results in dissociation of the complex species as proven by SANS and analytical ultracentrifugation (AUC). This process begins at the certain threshold ionic strength and proceeds via a salt-induced gradual release of chains of the cationic polyectrolyte from the complex species.

Adsorption of Amphiphilic Diblock Copolymer Micelles at the Mica/Solution Interface

The adsorption of the amphiphilic diblock copolymer poly(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate-block-methyl methacrylate) (DMA−MMA) at the mica/solution interface has been studied, over a range of so...

Packaging of DNA by shell crosslinked nanoparticles.

We demonstrate compaction of DNA with nanoscale biomimetic constructs which are robust synthetic analogs of globular proteins. These constructs are approximately 15 nm in diameter, shell crosslinked knedel-like (SCKs) nanoparticles, which are prepared by covalent stabilization of amphiphilic di-block co-polymer micelles, self-assembled in an aqueous solution. This synthetic approach yields size-controlled nanoparticles of persistent shape and containing positively charged functional groups at and near the particle surface. Such properties allow SCKs to bind with DNA through electrostatic interactions and facilitate reduction of the DNA hydrodynamic diameter through reversible compaction. Compaction of DNA by SCKs was evident in dynamic light scattering experiments and was directly observed by in situ atomic force microscopy. Moreover, enzymatic digestion of the DNA plasmid (pBR322, 4361 bp) by Eco RI was inhibited at low SCK:DNA ratios and prevented when [le]60 DNA bp were bound per SCK. Digestion by Msp I in the presence of SCKs resulted in longer DNA fragments, indicating that not all enzyme cleavage sites were accessible within the DNA/SCK aggregates. These results have implications for the development of vehicles for successful gene therapy applications.

Multiple morphologies of amphiphilic diblock copolymer micelles in two and three dimensions

AbstractWe show that in aqueous solution, diblock copolymers, where one block is hydrophobic and the other hydrophilic can undergo self‐assembly in three dimensions in a manner similar to small molecule amphiphiles. In addition, two dimensional self‐assembly has been studied at the air‐water interface. We describe the various morphologies which have been observed in these systems and the parameters which we can use to tailor them.