Amphiphilic Block Copolymer Behavior in Solution and Interfaces

3 Amphiphilic Block Copolymer Behavior in Solution and Interfaces 

Aggregated copolymers in dy namic equilibrium with unimers. 

Copolymer unimers assembled in a bilayer around an aqueous reservoir 

Copolymer uni me r or membrane surrounding a drug reservoir or oily core 

One of the most fascinating properties of block copolymers is their ability to self-assemble into ordered nanostructures not only in selective solvent and melts but also at the interface and surface [113]. Self-assembly of amphiphilic or surface-adsorbing block copolymers at the air-water interface can form two dimensional monolayers on the nanometer scale order. 

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Abstract Self-assembly phenomena in block copolymer systems are attracting considerable interest from the scientific community and industry alike. Particularly interesting is the behavior of amphiphilic copolymers, which can self-organize into nanoscale-sized objects such as micelles, vesicles, or tubes in solution, and which form well-defined assemblies at interfaces such as air-liquid, air-solid, or liquid-solid. Depending on the polymer chemistry and architecture, various types of organization at interfaces can be expected, and further exploited for applications in nanotechnology, electronics, and biomedical sciences. 

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