Multicompartment micelles from silicone-based triphilic block copolymers

作者：Marsat Jean Noel; Stahlhut Frank; Laschewsky Andre^*; v Berlepsch Hans; Boettcher Christoph

来源：Colloid and Polymer Science, 2013, 291(11): 2561-2567.

DOI：10.1007/s00396-013-3001-2

• Amphiphiles
• Triphilic block copolymers
• Core-shell-corona micelles
• RAFT
• Cryo-TEM
• Multicompartment micelles

An amphiphilic linear ternary block copolymer was synthesised in three consecutive steps via reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerisation. Oligo(ethylene glycol) monomethyl ether acrylate was engaged as a hydrophilic building block, while benzyl acrylate and 3-tris(trimethylsiloxy)silyl propyl acrylate served as hydrophobic building blocks. The resulting %26quot;triphilic%26quot; copolymer consists thus of a hydrophilic (A) and two mutually incompatible %26quot;soft%26quot; hydrophobic blocks, namely, a lipophilic (B) and a silicone-based (C) block, with all blocks having glass transition temperatures well below 0 A degrees C. The triphilic copolymer self-assembles into spherical multicompartment micellar aggregates in aqueous solution, where the two hydrophobic blocks undergo local phase separation into various ultrastructures as evidenced by cryogenic transmission electron microscopy. Thus, a silicone-based polymer block can replace the hitherto typically employed fluorocarbon-based hydrophobic blocks in triphilic block copolymers for inducing multicompartmentalisation.

• 出版日期2013-11