Giant vesicles comprised of mixed amphiphilic poly(methacrylic acid)-block-poly(methyl methacrylate-random-methacrylic acid) diblock copolymers

Morphological stability of worm-like vesicles consisting of amphiphilic diblock copolymer against external stress

“…It has been reported that the cup-like morphology was formed in the early stage of the polymerization during the process of preparing the worm-like vesicles. [20] The copolymer with the short hydrophobic chain during the early stage was considered to form the rim of the cup-like vesicle based on its cone-like critical packing shape. The acid-base interaction between the amine and carboxylic acid increases the hydrophilic surface area of the critical packing shape of the copolymer due to the more hydrophilic salt formation causing a change in the critical packing shape into a cone-like shape.…”

“…[17] Some morphologies have already been created using poly(methacrylic acid)-block-poly(methyl methacrylaterandom-methacrylic acid), PMAA-b-P(MMA-r-MAA) by polymerization-induced self-assembly using the nitroxide-mediated photo controlled/living radical polymerization technique (photo NMP). [18] The morphologies include spherical vesicles, [17] the elliptical, [19] worm-like, [20,21] key-shaped, [22] villus-like, [23] and anastomosed tubular networks. [24] These morphologies were determined by the block length and molar ratio of the monomer unit in the diblock copolymer.…”

Hybrid giant lipid vesicles incorporating a PMMA-based copolymer

“…As for giant vesicles, which were not necessarily unilamellar ones, poly(methacrylic acid)block-poly(methylmethacrylate-random-methacrylic acid), PMAA-block-P(MMA-ran-MAA) could form giant vesicles in a photo-polymerization induced self-assembly process in an aqueous methanol solution [57,58]. The authors investigated the pH-responsive behaviour of the vesicles showing that they were disrupted in basic environment (pH 12) and they could be reversibly reconstructed at neutral pH.…”

Morphology Transformation of Giant Vesicles by a Polyelectrolyte for an Artificial Model of a Membrane Protein for Endocytosis

“…Giant vesicles consisting of an amphiphilic poly (methacrylic acid)-block-poly (methyl methacrylate-randommethacrylic acid) diblock copolymer, PMAA-b-P(MMA-r-MAA), are an artificial model of the biomembrane for cells and organelles based on the similarities in their structure [15], stimuli-responsive behavior [16,17], and membrane permeability [18]. Various morphologies have been found for the diblock copolymer depending on the block length [19,20], types of the monomer units [21][22][23], insertion of the segment copolymer [24], and conditions of the vesicle preparation [25] by the polymerization-induced selfassembly using the nitroxide-mediated photo controlled/living radical polymerization (photo NMP) technique [26]. The morphologies include spherical vesicles [15], the elliptical [25], worm-like [19,20,27], cup-like [27], key-shaped [19], villus-like [28], and anastomosed tubular networks continuing with a fenestrated sheet [17].…”

“…Various morphologies have been found for the diblock copolymer depending on the block length [19,20], types of the monomer units [21][22][23], insertion of the segment copolymer [24], and conditions of the vesicle preparation [25] by the polymerization-induced selfassembly using the nitroxide-mediated photo controlled/living radical polymerization (photo NMP) technique [26]. The morphologies include spherical vesicles [15], the elliptical [25], worm-like [19,20,27], cup-like [27], key-shaped [19], villus-like [28], and anastomosed tubular networks continuing with a fenestrated sheet [17]. Furthermore, the vesicles supporting the ionic monomer units of the 3-sulfopropyl methacrylate potassium salt (SpMA) on the hydrophobic block enhanced the permeability of the vesicles for ionic compounds, such as Rhodamine B, based on the electrostatic interaction in the hydrophobic phase [18].…”