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PubMed2005

Molecular origins of wettability of hydrophobic poly(vinylidene fluoride) microporous membranes on poly(vinyl alcohol) adsorption: Surface and interface analysis by XPS.

Irreversible adsorption of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) on hydrophobic, porous poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) membranes was carried out using aqueous PVA solution. Water permeation was observed in PVDF microporous membranes after PVA adsorption, and maximum permeability was obtained after treatment with 4% PVA solution. Water permeability increased linearly with increasing PVA concentration up to 4%, and then a marginal decrease with a further increase in PVA concentration occurred. PVA adsorbed PVDF membranes were subjected to intense physicochemical analysis, especially with XPS. XPS results display the presence of an interface between PVA and PVDF, and the binding energy (BE) of the interface is low for the PVDF membranes treated with 4% PVA. Carbon from CF2-groups and F 1s core level clearly showed a decrease in its content on the surface after PVA adsorption and showed a minimum fluorine content at 4% PVA. F 1s BE shifts by 0.5 eV upon PVA adsorption and is independent of PVA concentration. EDAX analysis indicates that the bulk oxygen content remains within 4.5 +/- 0.6% and is independent of the PVA concentration. Nonetheless, a large amount of surface atom percentage of oxygen (20 +/- 4%) from O 1s core level shows an increase in PVA content on the surface of PVDF, and it is restricted mostly to the surface. The 4% PVA treated PVDF membrane clearly shows a broadening of O 1s core level to lower BE and indicates the interaction between PVDF and PVA which is significantly different compared to any other compositions. A new valence band feature at low BE, which is nonexistent on PVDF, develops after PVA adsorption. This indicates that the shift in the nature of the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) derived mostly from oxygen; simultaneously, a suppression in the PVDF derived band indicates the change in nature of the PVA adsorbed surfaces from hydrophobic to hydrophilic. The above observations also suggest an irreversible electronic interaction between PVA and PVDF, possibly through charge transfer.

Adsorption↗
PubMed2005

Relaxations in poly(vinyl alcohol) and in poly(vinyl acetate) detected by fluorescence emission of 4-aminophthalimide and prodan.

Steady-state and time-resolved emission spectroscopy (TRES) of the medium-sensitive probes 4-aminophthalimide (4-AP) and 6-propionyl-2-(dimethylamino)naphthalene (Prodan) were performed at 77 and 298 K in vacuum-sealed thin films of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc). The two probes show similar red-edge effect in steady state emission and a red shift with time in TRES in PVA. In PVAc the red shifts are much smaller and the spectral shift for 4-AP is slower. 4-AP locates in highly polar environments in PVA, where H-bond interaction with the polymer is important. Prodan locates in less polar environments, as evidenced by the position of the emission maximum with respect to reference solvents. Consequently, the observed monoexponential spectral red shift with time of 4-AP in PVA and in PVAc is attributed to relaxation of the interaction of the probe with the hydroxy and acetate moieties, respectively. The more intense interaction of the lighter -OH moiety with the probes explains the greater and faster spectral shift observed in PVA compared to PVAc. The lifetime of this monoexponential spectral shift is independent of temperature in PVA and takes place with a highly negative activation entropy. This fact is attributed to a collective rearrangement of -OH groups to better interact with the excited state. This relaxation nevertheless does not account for the complete accommodation of the excited state. Prodan shows a linear variation of the spectral shift with time that can be explained by microheterogeneity. In PVA, the width at half-maximum of the emission spectra does not change with time for Prodan and it decays with a lifetime similar to the lifetime of the spectral shift in the case of 4-AP. The differences in the behavior of the probes are attributed to their different average location in the polymer matrix.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2005

Molecular modeling on the binary blend compatibility of poly(vinyl alcohol) and poly(methyl methacrylate): an atomistic simulation and thermodynamic approach.

Computer simulations play an important role in designing new polymers as well as in predicting properties of existing polymers. In this paper, the blend compatibility of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) with poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) was studied over the wide range of compositions allowed by the atomistic and mesoscopic simulation methods. The Flory-Huggins interaction parameter, chi, of the blends computed using the atomistic simulation confirmed the blend compatibility for compositions containing >60 wt % of PVA. This observation was further supported by differential scanning calorimetric experiments. Solubility parameters of the polymers obtained from the simulation procedure were in good agreement with those of the literature data. Simulation results were further supported by the spectral and solution property measurements. From the atomistic simulations, chi versus concentration plots were constructed, which showed trends similar to those experimentally measured melting temperature versus concentration. The chi values for the blends, which satisfied the criteria of miscibility of two polymers by the atomistic simulation, agreed quite well with the solubility criteria related to order parameters calculated from the mesoscopic simulation. Kinetics of phase separation was examined via density profiles calculated using the MesoDyn approach for incompatible blends. The length and time scales spanned by these simulations were found to be relevant to the real application scales. The free energy computed in the mesoscopic simulation for blends reached equilibrium, particularly when the simulation was performed at a higher time step, indicating the stability of the blend system at certain compositions.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2005

Charge-doped and heteroatom-substituted polysilane, poly(vinylenedisilanylene), and poly(butadienylenedisilanylene): electronic structures and band gaps.

The effects of charge-doping and boron and phosphorus substitution on the electronic structures and band gaps of polysilane, poly(vinylenedisilanylene), and poly(butadienylenedisilanylene) were theoretically investigated by using density functional theory and time-dependent density functional theory. Band gaps of polymers were estimated both by extrapolations from excitation energies of oligomers up to 30 units and by calculations with the periodic boundary condition. It was found that charge-doping in the polysilane decreases the band gap more significantly than B and P substitutions. However, Si-Si bonds are easily broken by charge-doping. In contrast, B and P substitutions exert little influence on the strength of Si-Si bonds. From natural bond orbital analysis, it was concluded that charge-doping and heteroatom substitution bring about a lowering of the band gap in sigma conjugated polysilanes because of strong electron-hole interactions. The introduction of longer pi conjugated moieties was found to reduce band gaps of sigma-pi conjugated chains. In contrast to the sigma conjugated polysilanes, bridged structures and a different distribution of polarons were found in cations of sigma-pi conjugated chains.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2005

Molecular interpretation for the solvation of poly(acrylamide)s. I. Solvent-dependent changes in the C=O stretching band region of poly(N,N-dialkylacrylamide)s.

The solvation of poly(N,N-dimethylacrylamide) (PNdMA) and poly(N,N-diethylacrylamide) (PNdEA) in various protic and aprotic solvents has been studied by using infrared (IR) spectroscopy. Because PNdMA and PNdEA have the same polar functional group, their IR spectra show quite similar solvent effects. Unexpectedly, the solvent-dependent changes of the C=O stretching vibration (nu(C=O)) bands of the two polymers cannot be explained only by dielectric constants of the solvents. Then, infrared spectra of N,N-dimethylacetamide (NdMA) and N,N-diethylacetamide (NdEA), monomer models for PNdMA and PNdEA, respectively, in the same solvents as the polymer solutions have also been examined. Interestingly, the solvent-dependent spectra in the nu(C=O) band region of NdMA and NdEA are correlated with those of PNdMA and PNdEA, respectively, except for slight deviations, which may be ascribed to molecular mobility and/or exclusive volume. These correlations permit one to regard the solvation of the polymers as that of the corresponding monomers. As a result, we have proposed the assignments of nu(C=O) bands for the PNdMA and PNdEA solutions regarding the interactions between solvents and NdMA and NdEA as hydrogen bondings. In the IR spectra of PNdMA and PNdEA in the protic solvents, two C=O bands are mainly observed; one appears at a similar frequency to that of a C=O band observed for the monomer solution, and the other is characteristic of the polymer systems. The former band is likely to reflect the solvation behavior of PNdMA and PNdEA. The results clearly show that the solvation of a polymer can be interpreted at the molecular level using infrared spectroscopy sensitive to solvent effects.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2005

Miscibility and hydrogen-bonding interactions in biodegradable polymer blends of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) and a partially hydrolyzed poly(vinyl alcohol).

Miscibility and hydrogen-bonding interactions, as well as the morphological properties, of biodegradable polymer blends of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) and a 80% hydrolyzed poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA80) were studied using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). It was found that PHB is miscible with PVA80 in the amorphous phase over the whole composition range. PVA80 or PHB assumes the amorphous state when its content in the blend is lower than 30 or 20 wt %, respectively. Due to the heavy overlapping of C=O stretching bands from both PVA80 and PHB and the nonmeasurable peak shift in the OH stretching band region, hydrogen-bonding interactions between the OH group of PVA80 and the C=O group of PHB were not detectable at room temperature, but were observed at a higher temperature of 180 degrees C. This is because hydrogen-bonding interactions are promoted above the melting points of these two crystalline polymers, by increasing the mixing entropy and reducing the Deltachi effect. Blending PHB with PVA80 does not have a significant effect on the OH groups of PVA80 that are hydrogen bonded with each other. Instead, the C=O groups of PHB dispossess some of the OH groups that are hydrogen bonded to the C=O groups of PVA80, which gives rise to the miscibility between PVA80 and PHB in the amorphous phase.

Biodegradation, Environmental↗
PubMed2005

Metalated diblock and triblock poly(ethylene oxide)-block-poly(4-vinylpyridine) copolymers: understanding of micelle and bulk structure.

The paper provides new insights into the structure of Pt-containing diblock and triblock copolymers based on poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and poly(4-vinylpyridine) (P4VP), using a combination of atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and anomalous small-angle X-ray scattering (ASAXS). Parallel studies using methods contributing supplemental structural information allowed us to comprehensively characterize sophisticated polymer systems during metalation and to exclude possible ambiguity of the data interpretation of each of the methods. AFM and TEM make available the determination of sizes of the micelles and of the Pt-containing micelle cores, respectively, while a combination of XRD, TEM, and ASAXS reveals Pt-nanoparticle size distributions and locations along with the structural information about the polymer matrix. In addition, for the first time, ASAXS revealed the organization of Pt-nanoparticle-filled diblock and triblock copolymers in the bulk. The nanoparticle characteristics are mainly determined by the type of block copolymer system in which they are found: larger particles (2.0-3.0 nm) are formed in triblock copolymer micelles, while smaller ones (1.5-2.5 nm) are found in diblock copolymer micelles. This can be explained by facilitated intermicellar exchange in triblock copolymer systems. For both systems, Pt nanoparticles have narrow particle size distributions as a result of a strong interaction between the nanoparticle surface and the P4VP units inside the micelle cores. The pH of the medium mainly influences the particle location rather than the particle size. A structural model of Pt-nanoparticle clustering in the diblock PEO-b-P4VP and triblock P4VP-b-PEO-b-P4VP copolymers in the bulk was constructed ab initio from the ASAXS data. This model reveals that nearly spherical micellar cores of about 10 nm in diameter (filled with Pt nanoparticles) aggregate forming slightly oblate hollow bodies with an outer diameter of about 40 nm.

Micelles↗
PubMed2006

Spectroelectrochemistry of poly(ethylenedithiathiophene)--the sulfur analogue of poly(ethylenedioxythiophene).

Poly(3,4-ethylenedithiathiophene) (PEDTT) is a polythiophene-like conjugated polymer in which each thiophene ring is functionalized with an ethylenedithia bridge. As such, PEDTT is the sulfur analogue of the well-known poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT). Substituent effects, namely the presence of sulfur atoms in PEDTT replacing the oxygen atoms of PEDOT, do not provide a simple explanation for the different electronic properties of the two polymers in the neutral state. This paper reports the spectroscopic properties of PEDTT, studied by in situ techniques such as IR-, Vis-, and electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroelectrochemistry. The differences observed upon electrochemical oxidation of PEDTT and PEDOT (e.g., the different infrared active vibrational band patterns in IR spectroelectrochemistry as well as the different nature of the charged states) are even more marked than those observed in the neutral state. These results, with AM1 calculations, indicate conformational effects as a possible explanation for the different electronic and spectroscopic properties of PEDTT and PEDOT.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2006

Potential-modulated, attenuated total reflectance spectroscopy of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene methanol) copolymer films on indium-tin oxide.

We report the first application of a potential-modulated spectroelectrochemical ATR (PM-ATR) instrument utilizing multiple internal reflections at an optically transparent electrode to study the charge-transfer kinetics and electrochromic response of adsorbed films. A sinusoidally modulated potential waveform was applied to an indium-tin oxide (ITO) electrode while simultaneously monitoring the optical reflectivity of thin (2-6 equivalent monolayers) copolymer films of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene methanol) (PEDTM), previously characterized in our laboratory. At high modulation frequencies the measured response of the polymer film is selective toward the fastest electrochromic processes in the film, presumably those occurring within the first adsorbed monolayer. Quantitative determination of the electrochromic switching rate, derived from the frequency response of the attenuated reflectivity, shows a linear decrease in the rate, from 11 x 10(3) s(-1) to 3 x 10(3) s(-1), with increasing proportions of PEDTM in the copolymer, suggesting that interactions between the methanol substituent on EDTM and the ITO surface slow the switching process by limiting the rate of conformational change in the polymer film.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2006

Molecular dynamics simulation of structure, thermodynamic, and dynamic properties of poly(dimethylsilamethylene), poly(dimethylsilatrimethylene) and their alternating copolymer.

Molecular dynamics is used for the simulation of silicon-containing polymers with promising membrane material properties. An atomistic force field is developed for the description of bond bending, torsional angle variation, and nonbonded intra- and intermolecular interactions. Detailed ab initio quantum mechanics calculations on corresponding monomers that appeared recently in the literature are used for the parametrization of the bonded and nonbonded local intramolecular force field. For the intermolecular and nonbonded nonlocal intramolecular interactions, parameters are obtained from accurate force fields proposed in the literature for similar compounds. The force field is used subsequently for the calculation of thermodynamic, structure, and dynamic properties of two homopolymers, namely, poly(dimethylsilamethylene) and poly(dimethylsilatrimethylene), and their alternating copolymer. A wide range of temperatures and pressures is examined. Polymer systems of different molecular weights are simulated. Experimental data available for these polymers are very limited. In all cases, simulation results are in good agreement with these data. Furthermore, simulation results agree very well with empirical macroscopic correlations used widely for rubbery polymers for the properties under consideration.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2006

Cooperative hydrogen bonds of macromolecules. 2. Two-dimensional cooperativity in the binding of poly(4-vinylpyridine) to poly(4-vinylphenol).

The hydrogen bond interaction of poly(4-vinylphenol) (PVF), ligated by a 20 mol/mol excess of pyridine-d(5) (PD) in tetrahydrofuran-d(8), with poly(4-vinylpyridine) (PVP) was studied using liquid and solid-state NMR and quantum mechanical calculations. Because of its cooperative interaction, PVP substitutes PD in its hydrogen bond with PVF, thus forming a PVF-PVP complex, which gradually precipitates from solution. On the basis of the 1H/13C NMR spin-diffusion experiments and density functional theory quantum calculations, the complex is shown to have the fairly regular structure of a polymer sheet with intermittent H-bond links between PVF and PVP chains. The cooperativity of PVP interaction with PVF was studied by measuring the dependence of the binding degree alpha of PVP on its polymerization degree (P(n), being 10, 17, 30, 36, 48, 65, and 84) at various PVP/PVF molar ratios. The value of alpha was established indirectly by measuring the fraction of liberated PD using its 2H quadrupolar relaxation and pulsed field-gradient spin-echo measurement of self-diffusion. The cooperativity is shown to be of a higher order and two-dimensional, that is, dependent on both the polymerization degree of PVP and its ratio to PVF. A mathematical model of such two-dimensional cooperativity based chiefly on a proximity effect is suggested.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2006

Crystallization behaviors of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) and poly(l-lactic acid) in their immiscible and miscible blends.

By adjusting the molecular weight of the poly(l-lactic acid) (PLLA) component in poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB)/PLLA blends, we investigated the crystallization behaviors of the two components in their immiscible and miscible 50:50 blends by real time infrared (IR) spectroscopy. In the immiscible PHB/PLLA blend, the stepwise crystallization of PHB and PLLA was realized at different crystallization temperatures. PLLA crystallizes first at a higher temperature (120 degrees C). Its crystallization mechanism from the immiscible PHB/PLLA melt is not affected by the presence of the PHB component, while its crystallization rate is substantially depressed. Subsequently, in the presence of crystallized PLLA, the isothermal melt-crystallization of PHB takes place at a lower temperature (90 degrees C). It is interesting to find that there are two growth stages for PHB. At the early stage of the growth period, the Avrami exponent is 5.0, which is unusually high, while in the late stage, it is 2.5, which is very close to the reported value (n approximately 2.5) for the neat PHB system. In contrast to the stepwise crystallization of PHB and PLLA in the immiscible blends, the almost simultaneous crystallization of PHB and PLLA in the miscible 50:50 blend was observed at the same crystallization temperature (110 degrees C). Detailed dynamic analysis by IR spectroscopy has disclosed that, even in such apparently simultaneous crystallization, the crystallization of PLLA actually occurs faster than that of PHB. It has been found that, both in the immiscible and miscible blends, the crystallization dynamics of PHB are heavily affected by the presence of crystallized PLLA.

Crystallization↗
PubMed1996

Preparation and characterization of the micelle-forming polymeric drug indomethacin-incorporated poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(beta-benzyl L-aspartate) block copolymer micelles.

To estimate the feasibility of novel containers for drugs, poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(beta-benzyl L-aspartate) (PEO-PBLA) micelles were prepared by dialysis against water using different solvents. The solvent selected is very important because it drastically affects the stability of polymeric micelles. The critical micelle concentration (cmc) of the prepared micelles in distilled water was determined by a fluorescence probe technique using pyrene. Indomethacin (IMC) as a model drug was incorporated into the micelles by dialysis and an oil/water emulsion method. Characteristics of PEO-PBLA micelles without and with the physically trapped IMC in the inner core of the micelles (IMC/PEO-PBLA) were studied by dynamic light scattering and gel permeation chromatography/HPLC as well as an in vitro release test of IMC from the micelles. For the PEO-PBLA block copolymers, N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc) was found to be the best of the solvents tested to form stable polymeric micelles with a narrow size distribution and avoid its aggregation, and the cmc of PEO-PBLA micelles thus prepared was determined to be ca. 18 mg/L in water. The diameters of PEO-PBLA micelles and IMC/PEO-PBLA micelles in number averaged scale were observed to be ca. 19 and 25-29 nm, respectively. The release study of IMC from IMC/PEO-PBLA micelles in various buffer solutions at the pH range from 1.2 to 7.4 at 37 degrees C revealed that the release rate of IMC from the micelles was increased by increasing the pH of the medium and indicated that the release rate of IMC from the micelles are controlled by the partition coefficient of IMC based on the pH of the medium and interaction between IMC and the hydrophobic portion of the micelles.

Chemistry, Pharmaceutical↗
PubMed1999

Chemical stability of peptides in polymers. 1. Effect of water on peptide deamidation in poly(vinyl alcohol) and poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) matrixes.

This paper examines the effect of water content, water activity, and glass transition temperature (T(g)) on the deamidation of an asparagine-containing hexapeptide (VYPNGA; Asn-hexapeptide) in lyophilized poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) at 50 degrees C. The rate of Asn-hexapeptide deamidation increases with increasing water content or water activity and, hence, decreasing T(g). The rate of deamidation is more sensitive to changes in these parameters in PVA than in PVP. Deamidation is clearly evident in the glassy state in both formulations. In the glassy state, the peptide is more stable in PVA than in PVP formulations but is less stable in the rubbery state. No single variable (water content, water activity, or T(g)) could account for the variation in deamidation rates in PVA and PVP formulations. Deamidation rates were correlated with the degree of plasticization by water (distance of T(g) from the dry intrinsic glass transition temperature); coincident curves for the two polymers were obtained with this correlation. Deamidation in PVA and PVP was closely correlated with the extent of water-induced plasticization experienced by the formulation relative to its glass transition at 50 degrees C, suggesting that the physical state of formulations could be used to predict chemical stability.

Adsorption↗
PubMed1999

Comparison of the biodistribution in mice of 111indium oxine encapsulated into poly(lactic-co-glycolic)-D,L-85/15 and poly(epsilon caprolactone) nanocapsules.

Poly(lactic-co-glycolic)-D,L-85/15 (PLAGA) nanocapsules and poly(epsilon caprolactone) (PCL) nanocapsules were labeled with a relatively long half-life compound that is usually used in humans; that is, 111In-labelled oxine (111In oxine). This labeling technique led to a high 111In oxine entrapment efficiency and good stability during dialysis against phosphate buffer and phosphate buffered albumin solution. Because of these characteristics, the nanocapsules biodistribution was followed up after intravenous administration for up to 96 h by determining the gamma activity in the tissues after sampling. The administration of the PCL-encapsulated 111In oxine led to a decrease in the blood radioactivity and an increase in the liver radioactivity compared with the solution. This effect was even more pronounced with the PLAGA nanocapsules. Finally, the activity level in other tissues, such as the kidneys, the lungs, and the spleen, appeared to be rather low and only slightly affected by the encapsulation into one or the other polymer.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Hydrogel characteristics of electron-beam-immobilized poly(vinylpyrrolidone) films on poly(ethylene terephthalate) supports.

A novel strategy for the preparation of thin hydrogel coatings on top of polymer bulk materials was elaborated for the example of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) surfaces layered with poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP). PVP layers were deposited on PET foils or SiO2 surfaces (silicon wafer or glass coverslips) precoated with PET and subsequently cross-linked by electron beam treatment. The obtained films were characterized by ellipsometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy in attenuated total reflection, atomic force microscopy (AFM), and electrokinetic measurements. Ellipsometric experiments and AFM force-distance measurements showed that the cross-linked layers swell in aqueous solutions by a factor of about 7. Electrokinetic experiments indicated a strong hydrodynamic shielding of the charge of the underlying PET layer by the hydrogel coatings and further proved that the swollen films were stable against shear stress and variation of pH. In conclusion, electron beam cross-linking ofpreadsorbed hydrophilic polymers permits a durable fixation of swellable polymer networks on polymer supports which can be adapted to materials in a wide variety of shapes.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2004

Effect of poly(acrylic acid) block length distribution on polystyrene-b-poly(acrylic acid) block copolymer aggregates in solution. 2. A partial phase diagram.

The first paper of the series, which focused on the effect of polydispersity on the self-assembly of block copolymer vesicles, showed that an increase in the width of the poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) block length distribution resulted in a decrease in the size of the vesicles formed. In this paper, the rest of the phase diagram is explored. For the present study, a series of polystyrene-b-poly(acrylic acid) copolymers of an identical polystyrene length of 325 units but of varying degrees of polymerization of PAA was synthesized. Mixtures of the copolymers were made to artificially broaden the molecular weight distribution of PAA at a constant number average of 48 in the polydispersity index (PDI) range of 1.1-3.3. The mixtures were dissolved in dioxane, and water was added slowly to predetermined amounts. Transmission electron microscopy was used to observe aggregate morphologies at different water contents and PAA PDIs. At low water contents, dynamic light scattering was also used to measure the sizes of the aggregates. A partial phase diagram as a function of the water content and PAA PDI was obtained. Large compound micelles and spherical micelles (average diameter of 40 nm) were found at low water contents; however, at a water content of 12% (w/w), a continuum of morphologies from spheres to rods to vesicles was found with increasing PAA PDI. In addition, each copolymer was investigated by itself under identical conditions to those used for the mixtures to determine if there was any segregation of the individual polymers into separate aggregates. No evidence for such segregation was found.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2004

Influence of metalation on the morphologies of poly(ethylene oxide)-block-poly(4-vinylpyridine) block copolymer micelles.

Micellization of a poly(ethylene oxide)-block-poly(4-vinylpyridine) (PEO45-b-P4VP28) copolymer in water during metalation (incorporation of gold compounds and gold nanoparticle formation) with three types of gold compounds, NaAuCl4, HAuCl4, and AuCl3, was studied using dynamic light scattering (DLS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The transformations of the PEO45-b-P4VP28 block copolymer micelles in water were found to depend on a number of parameters including the thermal history of the as-prepared block copolymer, the type of the metal compound, and the metal loading. For the HAuCl4-filled PE045-b-P4VP28 micelles, the subsequent reduction with hydrazine hydrate results in a significant fraction of rodlike micelles, suggesting that slow nucleation (confirmed by the formation of the large gold nanoparticles) and facilitated migration of gold ions yields the ideal conditions for sphere-to-rod micellar transition.

Journal Article↗