Evolution in the morphological behaviour of a series of fluorine-containing ABC miktoarm star terpolymers

Patchy Micelles with a Crystalline Core: Self-Assembly Concepts, Properties, and Applications

Crystallization-driven self-assembly (CDSA) of block copolymers bearing one crystallizable block has emerged to be a powerful and highly relevant method for the production of one- and two-dimensional micellar assemblies with controlled length, shape, and corona chemistries. This gives access to a multitude of potential applications, from hierarchical self-assembly to complex superstructures, catalysis, sensing, nanomedicine, nanoelectronics, and surface functionalization. Related to these applications, patchy crystalline-core micelles, with their unique, nanometer-sized, alternating corona segmentation, are highly interesting, as this feature provides striking advantages concerning interfacial activity, functionalization, and confinement effects. Hence, this review aims to provide an overview of the current state of the art with respect to self-assembly concepts, properties, and applications of patchy micelles with crystalline cores formed by CDSA. We have also included a more general discussion on the CDSA process and highlight block-type co-micelles as a special type of patchy micelle, due to similarities of the corona structure if the size of the blocks is well below 100 nm.

Solution self-assembly of fluorinated polymers, an overview

The incorporation of fluorinated moieties into a polymer can confer unique properties and often lead in solution to original morphologies endowed with rare properties.

Advances in PEG-based ABC terpolymers and their applications

ABC terpolymers are a class of very important polymers because of their expansive molecular topologies and extensive architectures. As block A, poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) is one of the most principal categories owing to good biocompatibility and wide commercial availability. More importantly, the synthetic approaches of ABC terpolymers using PEG as a macroinitiator are facile and varied. PEG-based ABC terpolymers from design and synthesis to applications are highlighted in this review. Linear, 3-miktoarm, and cyclic polymers as the architecture are separated. The synthetic approaches of PEG-based ABC terpolymers mainly include the sequential polymerization or coupling of polymers. PEG-based ABC terpolymers have wide applications in the fields of drug carriers, gene vectors, templates for the fabrication of inorganic hollow nanospheres, and stabilizers of metal nanoparticles.