Copolymers, self-assembling

Bates F.S. and Fredrickson G.H., Block copolymers-designer soft materials, Phys. Today, 52, 32, 1999. Alexandridis P. and Lindman B. (eds.). Amphiphilic Block Copolymers Self-Assembly and Applications, Elsevier, Amsterdam, 2000. 

Jeoung E., Galow T.H., Schotter J., Bal M., Ursache A., Tuominen M.T., Stafford C.M., Russell T.P., and Rotello V.M. Fabrication and characterization of naoelectrode arrays formes via block copolymers self-assembly, Langmuir, 17, 6396, 2001. 

Alexandridis P, Lindman B (eds) (2000) Amphiphilic block copolymers self assembly and applications. Elsevier, Amsterdam... 

Li Z, Ding J, Day M, Tao Y. Molecularly imprinted polymeric nanospheres by diblock copolymer self-assembly. Macromolecules 2006 39 2629-2636. 

The addition of large linear blocks to dendrons with opposite polarity creates a desymmetrized structure predisposed to sequester insoluble components by aggregation rather than intramolecular hydrogen-bonding. Amphiphilic, linear-dendritic diblock (AB) and triblock (ABA) copolymers self-assemble into multimolecular micelles with CMC values that are well below those of low molecular weight surfactants. Typically, a hydrophilic linear block such as PEG is attached to the focal point... 

Booth, C, Yu, G.-E. and Nace, V. M. (1997). Block copolymers of ethylene oxide and 1,2-butylene oxide. In Amphiphilic block copolymers self-assembly and applications, (ed. P. Alexandridis and B. Lindman). Elsevier, Amsterdam. 

Nagarajan, R. and K. Ganesh. 1989. Block copolymer self-assembly in selective solvents theory of solubilization in spherical micellefc/lacromolecule 2 4312-4325. 

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. 

Block Copolymer Self-Assembly Under Confinement... 

Klok, H. A. and Lecommandoux, S., Supramolecular materials via block copolymer self-assembly , Adv. Mater. 2001,13, 1217-1229. 

Keywords Supramolecular system Block copolymer Self-assembled system Inclusion complexes Cyclodextrin Air-water interface Non-covalent interaction Auto-organization... 

In dilute aqueous solutions, polyelectrolyte block copolymers self-assemble into micelles consisting of a hydrophobic core and a polyelectrolyte shell. The study of their structural properties is expected to provide a basic understanding of the properties of dense polyelectrolyte layers, electro-steric stabilization mechanisms, and actuator functions based on variations in the electrostatic interactions. 

Block copolymers self-assemble to form nanoscale organized structures in a selective solvent. The most common structures are spheres, with the insoluble core surrounded by a solvent-swollen corona. In some instances, disk- or worm-like micelles form, and are of particular interest, since the control of their association can lead to a broad range of new applications [1,2]. An important subset of block copolymer micelles are those which contain metal atoms, through covalent attachment or by complexa-tion [3], These structures are interesting because they take advantage of the intrinsic properties of their components, such as the mechanical properties of the polymer micelles and the optical and magnetic characteristics of the metal atoms. Moreover, the assembly permits the control of the uniformity in size and shape of the nanoparticles, and it stabilizes them. 

The literature is abundant in describing the formation of spherical micelles from block copolymer self-assembly. From the classical diblock copolymer AB, two types of micelles could be prepared as a function of their structural parameters (Fig. 5). 

Fig. 10 Schematic depiction of bridge chain and loop chain configurations in cylindrical morphology from the ABA triblock copolymer self-assembly...

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