Effect of hydrophilic block end groups and block junction on block copolymer self-assembly in solution

Recent research suggests that the end groups of polymers can affect their self-assembly. However, the effect of end groups on the self-assembly of block copolymers in solution remains unclear, and thus far, only micelle-vesicle transformations have been achieved end-group modification. Herein, we re...

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Veröffentlicht in:RSC advances 2022-03, Vol.12 (12), p.7446-7452
Hauptverfasser: Ha, Sungmin, Kim, Kyoung Taek
Format: Artikel
Sprache:eng
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Zusammenfassung:Recent research suggests that the end groups of polymers can affect their self-assembly. However, the effect of end groups on the self-assembly of block copolymers in solution remains unclear, and thus far, only micelle-vesicle transformations have been achieved end-group modification. Herein, we report that hydrophilic block end groups and the junction between two blocks can affect the solution self-assembly of block copolymers, leading to the formation of different morphologies, including vesicles, cubosomes, and hexosomes. Poly(ethylene glycol)- -polystyrene (PEG- -PS) with hydroxyl, methoxy, azido, or amino groups at the PEG chain ends was synthesized and self-assembled in solution the cosolvent method. As a result, the morphology of the block copolymers transformed from vesicles to hexosomes upon increasing the end-group hydrophobicity. In addition, a morphological transition from cubosomes to vesicles was observed upon changing the junction from a triazole to an amide, and the interaction between the solvent and end groups significantly affected the self-assembly behavior.
ISSN:2046-2069
2046-2069
DOI:10.1039/d2ra00493c