English (United Kingdom)

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/featured_content/oa?rat=en

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/highlighted_journal/

Global: Zendy Plus annual

Presents the access of premium content as premium feature

Premium Content

Presents the keyphrase highlighting as premium feature

Keyphrase Highlighting

Presents the summarisation as premium feature

Summarisation

Insights

Presents the pdf analysis as premium feature

PDF Analysis

Presents the zaia usage as premium feature

ZAIA

Global: Zendy Tools annual

Global: Zendy Free Plan

Global: Zendy Tools monthly

Global: Zendy Plus monthly

Solution self-assembly of amphiphilic block copolymers (BCs) is typicallyperformed by a solvent-to-water exchange. However, BC assemblies are oftentrapped in metastable states depending on the mixing conditions such as themagnitude and rate of water addition. BC self-assembly can be performed undernear thermodynamic control by dialysis, which accounts for a slow and gradualwater addition. In this Letter we report the use of a specifically designeddialysis cell to continuously monitor by dynamic light scattering andsmall-angle neutron scattering the morphological changes of PDMS-b-PEG BCsself-assemblies during THF-to-water exchange. The complete phase diagrams ofnear-equilibrium structures can then be established. Spherical micelles firstform before evolving to rod-like micelles and vesicles, decreasing the totaldeveloped interfacial area of self-assembled structures in response toincreasing interfacial energy as the water content increases. The dialysiskinetics can be tailored to the time scale of BC self-assembly by modifying themembrane pore size, which is of interest to study the interplay betweenthermodynamics and kinetics in self-assembly pathways.

In situ monitoring of block copolymer self-assembly through controlled dialysis with light and neutron scattering detection