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Effect of Hydrophilic Monomer Distribution on Self‐Assembly of a pH‐Responsive Copolymer: Spheres, Worms and Vesicles from a Single Copolymer Composition
Author(s) -
Zhang Junliang,
FariasMancilla Barbara,
Kulai Ihor,
Hoeppener Stephanie,
Lonetti Barbara,
Prévost Sylvain,
Ulbrich Jens,
Destarac Mathias,
Colombani Olivier,
Schubert Ulrich S.,
GuerreroSanchez Carlos,
Harrisson Simon
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
angewandte chemie international edition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.831
H-Index - 550
eISSN - 1521-3773
pISSN - 1433-7851
DOI - 10.1002/anie.202010501
Subject(s) - copolymer , micelle , polymer chemistry , monomer , acrylic acid , dynamic light scattering , morphology (biology) , vesicle , acrylate , materials science , transmission electron microscopy , chemical engineering , chemistry , polymer , nanoparticle , aqueous solution , nanotechnology , organic chemistry , membrane , composite material , biochemistry , engineering , genetics , biology
A series of copolymers containing 50 mol % acrylic acid (AA) and 50 mol % butyl acrylate (BA) but with differing composition profiles ranging from an AA‐BA diblock copolymer to a linear gradient poly(AA‐ grad ‐BA) copolymer were synthesized and their pH‐responsive self‐assembly behavior was investigated. While assemblies of the AA‐BA diblock copolymer were kinetically frozen, the gradient‐like compositions underwent reversible changes in size and morphology in response to changes in pH. In particular, a diblock copolymer consisting of two random copolymer segments of equal length (16 mol % and 84 mol % AA content, respectively) formed spherical micelles at pH >5, a mix of spherical and wormlike micelles at pH 5 and vesicles at pH 4. These assemblies were characterized by dynamic light scattering, cryo‐transmission electron microscopy and small angle neutron scattering.