Here
we systematically study the equilibrium molecular exchange
kinetics of a series of amphiphilic n-alkyl-poly(ethylene
oxide) (C
n
-PEO) micelles containing partly
crystallized cores. Using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC),
we determined the melting transition and extracted the enthalpy of
fusion, ΔH
fus, of the n-alkyl chains inside the micellar core. Molecular exchange kinetics
was measured below the melting point using a time-resolved small-angle
neutron scattering technique (TR-SANS) based on mixing deuterated
and proteated but otherwise identical micelles. Comparing both kinetic
and thermodynamic data, we find that crystallinity within the micellar
cores leads to significant enthalpic and the entropic contributions
to the activation barrier for molecular exchange. While the former
leads to an enhanced stability, the positive entropic gain favors
the process. Interestingly, the entropic term contains an excess term
beyond what is expected from the measured entropy of fusion. Based
on calculations using the Rotational Isomeric State (RIS) model, we
suggest that the excess entropy is due to the gain in conformational
entropy upon releasing the chain from the confined state in the core.
The study thus provides deep insight into the fundamental processes
of micellar kinetics and which might be relevant also to other semicrystalline
soft matter and biological systems including lipid membranes.