Amphiphilic poly surfactant Brij

Most often, commercially available and purely organic amphiphilic, self-assembling molecules are applied in the synthesis of mesostructured materials such as ionic surfactants or block copolymers, i.e. Pluronic surfactants (PEO-f>-PPO-f>-PEO with PPO = poly(propylene oxide)) or poly(ethylene oxide) alkyl ether surfactants (Brij ). However, due to the restricted availability of amphiphilic block copolymers, not only are the accessible pore sizes and phases limited, but commercial products are sometimes inhomogeneous and have high molecular weight distributions [2]. 

In comparison with the materials synthesized in the presence of surfactants, the surface area of the hierarchically porous zirconium oxides obtained via the self-formation phenomenon is relatively lower. Furthermore, the synthesis temperature can affect the crystallinity of the final product [124,139]. Upon increase of the hydrothermal treatment temperature to 130 °C (generally reported to be 60-80 °C), thermally stable meso-macroporous zirconias with a nanocrystalline framework were prepared by using a mixture of amphiphilic block copolymer P123 and poly(ethylene oxide) surfactant Brij 56. 

Recently, a new class of inhibitors (nonionic polymer surfactants) was identified as promising agents for drug formulations. These compounds are two- or three-block copolymers arranged in a linear ABA or AB structure. The A block is a hydrophilic polyethylene oxide) chain. The B block can be a hydrophobic lipid (in copolymers BRIJs, MYRJs, Tritons, Tweens, and Chremophor) or a poly(propylene oxide) chain (in copolymers Pluronics [BASF Corp., N.J., USA] and CRL-1606). Pluronic block copolymers with various numbers of hydrophilic EO (,n) and hydrophobic PO (in) units are characterized by distinct hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB). Due to their amphiphilic character these copolymers display surfactant properties including ability to interact with hydrophobic surfaces and biological membranes. In aqueous solutions with concentrations above the CMC, these copolymers self-assemble into micelles. 

---