Amphiphilic Block Copolymer Micelles in Selective Solvents: The Effect of Solvent Selectivity on Micelle Formation

Authors

Labeesh Kumar, Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung Dresden e. VFollow
Andriy Horechyy, Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung Dresden e. VFollow
Eva Bittrich, Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung Dresden e. VFollow
Bhanu Nandan, Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung Dresden e. V.Follow
Petra Uhlmann, Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung Dresden e. V. & University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Andreas Fery, Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung Dresden e. V. & Technische Universität DresdenFollow

ORCID IDs

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0384-3559

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0622-3489

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9298-4083

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6692-3762

Date of this Version

11-14-2019

Citation

2019 by the authors

Comments

Polymers 2019, 11, 1882; doi:10.3390/polym11111882 www.mdpi.com/journal/polymers

Abstract

We investigated the micellar behavior of a series of asymmetric polystyrene-block-poly (4-vinylpyridine) (PS-b-P4VP) block copolymers in different P4VP-selective alcoholic solvents. The micellar behavior was further correlated with the spectroscopic ellipsometry results obtained on swelling of PS and P4VP polymer films in the corresponding solvent vapors. The time-resolved (in situ) dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurements, in combination with (ex situ) electron microscopy imaging, revealed information about the aggregation state of PS-b-P4VP BCP in different alcohols and the effect of heat treatment. The ellipsometry measurements allowed us to estimate the difference in solvent selectivity toward PS/P4VP pair. Both DLS and ellipsometric studies suggested that less polar alcohols (i.e., 1-propanol, 1-butanol, and 1-pentanol) are likely to be close to each other in terms of their selectivity toward PS/P4VP pair, whereas more polar ethanol and methanol show the highest and the lowest affnity toward P4VP, respectively.