Multicompartment Micelles from ABC Miktoarm Stars in Water

Abstract

By combining three mutually immiscible polymeric components in a mixed-arm star block terpolymer architecture, we have observed the formation of a previously unknown class of multicompartment micelles in dilute aqueous solution. Connection of water-soluble poly(ethylene oxide) and two hydrophobic but immiscible components (a polymeric hydrocarbon and a perfluorinated polyether) at a common junction leads to molecular frustration when dispersed in aqueous solution. The incompatible hydrophobic blocks form cores that are protected from the water by the poly(ethylene oxide) blocks, but both are forced to make contact with the poly(ethylene oxide) by virtue of the chain architecture. The structures that emerge depend on the relative lengths of the blocks and can be tuned from discrete multicompartment micelles to extended wormlike structures with segmented cores.

Synthesis of amphiphilic and thermoresponsive ABC miktoarm star terpolymer via a combination of consecutive click reactions and atom transfer radical polymerization

“…This step is quite crucial for the preparation of welldefined target miktoarm star polymer due to the possible click coupling of 2 by (N 3 ) 2 ANH. The presence of coupling product, PEG-NH-PEG, will lead to the formation of Y-shaped AB 2 product, PNIPAM-b-(PEG) 2 . In designing the reaction, the molar ratio of (N 3 ) 2 ANH to alkynyl moieties of 2 was fixed at 50:1.…”

“…[1][2][3][4] The first few examples of the preparation of ABC miktoarm star terpolymers exclusively employed anionic polymerization, relying on the strict control of molar ratios between reactive species. [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] With the advent of controlled radical polymerizations, such as nitroxide-mediated radical polymerization (NMP), atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP), and reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization, the once challenging task of synthesizing ABC Correspondence to: S. Liu (E-mail: sliu@ustc.edu.cn) miktoarm star polymers has been rendered much easier.…”

Micellization of Zonyl FSN-100 fluorosurfactant in aqueous solutions

“…Low polarizibility of fluorine results in weaker dispersion forces between fluorocarbon tails as compared with hydrocarbons, which causes fluorocarbon chains being both hydrophobic and lipophobic [8]. Co-assembly of FS with hydrocarbon amphiphiles can lead to multicompartment structures in which fluorinated chains form segregated domains [9].…”

Synthesis of a Novel Kind of Amphiphilic Graft Copolymer with Miktoarm Star-Shaped Side Chains

“…They showed quite different microdomain morphologies in bulk [19][20][21] and self-assembly behavior in solution 22,23 compared with the comb-shaped, 24 block-grafted, 25,26 cyclic, 27,28 arborescent, 29 and hyperbranched 30 copolymers. In the investigation of ABC 3-miktoarm star-shaped terpolymers polystyrene-poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(ethoxyethyl glycidyl ether) (PS-PEO-PEEGE), 31 it was found that the hydroxyl end group of PEEGE block could be modified further, and then the miktoarm star copolymers with functional group as alkyne group were obtained.…”