Thermal stability of polystyrene-b-poly(ethylene/propylene) diblock copolymer micelles in paraffinic solvents

Dependence of aggregation behavior on concentration in triblock copolymer solutions: The effect of chain architecture

Using the self-consistent field lattice technique, the effects of concentration and hydrophobic middle block length (where the chain length remains constant) on aggregation behavior are studied in amphiphilic symmetric triblock copolymer solutions. The heat capacity peak for the unimer-micelle transition and the distribution peaks for the different degrees of aggregation for micelles and small aggregates (submicelles) are calculated. Analysis of the conducted computer simulations shows that the transition broadness dependence on concentration is determined by the hydrophobic middle block length, and this dependence is distinctly different when the length of the hydrophobic middle block changes. Different size for small aggregates simultaneously appear in the transition region. As temperature decreases, the number of different size small aggregates for the large hydrophobic middle block length first ascends and then descends in aggregation degree order. These results indicate that any transition broadness change with concentration is related to the mechanism of fragmentation and fusion. These results are helpful for interpreting the aggregation process of amphiphilic copolymers at equilibrium.

Micellization and adsorption behavior of a near-monodisperse polystyrene-based diblock copolymer in nonpolar media

The micellar self-assembly behavior of a near-monodisperse polystyrene-hydrogenated polyisoprene (PS-PEP) diblock copolymer is examined in non-polar media (either n-heptane or n-dodecane). Direct dissolution of this diblock copolymer leads to the formation of relatively large polydisperse colloidal aggregates that are kinetically frozen artifacts of the solid-state copolymer morphology. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) and transmission electron microscopy studies indicate that heating such copolymer dispersions up to 90-110 °C leads to a structural rearrangement, with the generation of relatively small, well-defined spherical micelles that persist on cooling to 20 °C. Variable temperature (1)H NMR studies using deuterated n-alkanes confirm that partial solvation (plasticization) of the polystyrene micelle cores occurs on heating. This increased mobility of the core-forming polystyrene chains is consistent with the evolution from a kinetically-trapped to a thermodynamically-favored copolymer morphology via exchange of individual copolymer chains, which are observed by DLS. These micellar self-assembly observations are also consistent with small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) studies, which indicate the formation of star-like micelles in n-heptane, with a mean polystyrene core diameter of about 20 nm and an overall diameter (core plus corona) of about 80 nm. Micelle dissociation occurs on addition of chloroform, which is a good solvent for both blocks. Finally, physical adsorption of this PS-PEP diblock copolymer onto a model colloidal substrate (carbon black) has been confirmed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. A Langmuir-type adsorption isotherm has been constructed using a supernatant depletion assay based on UV spectroscopy analysis of the aromatic chromophore in the polystyrene block. Comparable results were obtained using thermogravimetric analysis to directly determine the amount of adsorbed copolymer. Based on the maximum adsorbed amounts observed at 20 °C, these studies strongly suggest that individual PS-PEP copolymer chains adsorb onto carbon black from chloroform, whereas micellar adsorption occurs from n-alkanes.

Chain Exchange in Binary Copolymer Micelles at Equilibrium: Confirmation of the Independent Chain Hypothesis

The mechanism of chain exchange in block polymer micelles at equilibrium is investigated using time-resolved small-angle neutron scattering (TR-SANS). The binary micelles are formed from blends of two poly(styrene-b-ethylene-alt-propylene) (PS-PEP) copolymers with different PS core block lengths, only one of which is contrast-matched with the solvent, squalane, so that the monitored scattering intensity only reflects the other species. Micelles prepared with an excess of deuterated PS chains (of the visible species) and those with the equivalent protonated PS chains are blended ("postmixed") at room temperature, where the exchange of chains is suppressed. At several elevated temperatures these samples were monitored by TR-SANS, in which mixing of isotope-labeled visible species gives systematic reduction of scattering signals with time and provides a quantitative way to characterize the micelle exchange kinetics. Within experimental error, the results for each labeled chain (i.e., longer or shorter) in the binary micelles are identical to those recently reported for the same labeled chains in the corresponding single block copolymer component micelles, thus proving that chain exchange in these micelles involves independent chain motion. This reinforces the important conclusions that the single-chain exchange mechanism dominates in the studied micelle solutions and that micelle fusion or fission events are rare.

Molecular Exchange in Diblock Copolymer Micelles: Bimodal Distribution in Core-Block Molecular Weights

The role of core block size dispersity on the rate of molecular exchange in spherical micelles formed from 1% by volume poly(styrene-b-ethylenepropylene) (PS-PEP) diblock copolymers in squalane (C₃₀H₆₂) was investigated using time-resolved small-angle neutron scattering (TR-SANS). Separate copolymer solutions (total polymer 1% by volume) containing either deuterium labeled (dPS) or normal (hPS) poly(styrene) core blocks were prepared and mixed at room temperature, below the core glass transition temperature. Each preparation (dPS or hPS) contained equal volume fractions of M_n = 26 and 42 kg/mol (h-equivalent) poly(styrene) blocks. Heating to temperatures between 87 and 146 °C resulted in block copolymer exchange as evidenced by a systematic reduction in the SANS intensity; C₃₀H₆₂ and C₃₀D₆₂ were blended so as to contrast match the fully exchanged cores. Following a protocol established in a previous report, the time-dependent intensity data were shifted with respect to time and temperature, leading to a master curve covering nearly 7 orders of magnitude in reduced time. These results are quantitatively accounted for by summing the weighted relaxation functions obtained from the individual components, consistent with a previously published model that accounts for the dramatic sensitivity of the molecular exchange dynamics to core block dispersity.