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Gupta S, Lodge TP. Effect of Changing Interfacial Tension on Fragmentation Kinetics of Block Copolymer Micelles. Macromolecules 2023. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.2c02158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/24/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Supriya Gupta
- Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455-0431, United States
| | - Timothy P. Lodge
- Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455-0431, United States
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455-0431, United States
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Debrie C, Coudert N, Guigner JM, Nicolai T, Stoffelbach F, Colombani O, Rieger J. Unimer Exchange Is not Necessary for Morphological Transitions in Polymerization-Induced Self-Assembly. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2023; 62:e202215134. [PMID: 36541924 PMCID: PMC10107197 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202215134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Revised: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 12/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Polymerization-induced self-assembly (PISA) has established itself as a powerful and straightforward method to produce polymeric nano-objects of various morphologies in (aqueous) solution. Generally, spheres are formed in the early stages of polymerization that may evolve to higher order morphologies (worms or vesicles), as the solvophobic block grows during polymerization. Hitherto, the mechanisms involved in these morphological transitions during PISA are still not well understood. Combining a systematic study of a representative PISA system with rheological measurements, we demonstrate that-unexpectedly-unimer exchange is not necessary to form higher order morphologies during radical RAFT-mediated PISA. Instead, in the investigated aqueous PISA, the monomer present in the polymerization medium is responsible for the morphological transitions, even though it slows down unimer exchange.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clément Debrie
- Sorbonne Université & CNRS (UMR 8232), Institut Parisien de Chimie Moléculaire (IPCM), Polymer Chemistry Team, 4 Place Jussieu, 75252, Paris Cedex 05, France
| | - Noémie Coudert
- Le Mans Université & CNRS (UMR 6283), Institut des Molécules et Matériaux du Mans (IMMM), Avenue Olivier Messiaen, 72085, Le Mans Cedex 9, France
| | - Jean-Michel Guigner
- Sorbonne Université &CNRS, Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie (IMPMC), UMR 7590-IRD-MNHN, 75252, Paris Cedex 05, France
| | - Taco Nicolai
- Le Mans Université & CNRS (UMR 6283), Institut des Molécules et Matériaux du Mans (IMMM), Avenue Olivier Messiaen, 72085, Le Mans Cedex 9, France
| | - François Stoffelbach
- Sorbonne Université & CNRS (UMR 8232), Institut Parisien de Chimie Moléculaire (IPCM), Polymer Chemistry Team, 4 Place Jussieu, 75252, Paris Cedex 05, France
| | - Olivier Colombani
- Le Mans Université & CNRS (UMR 6283), Institut des Molécules et Matériaux du Mans (IMMM), Avenue Olivier Messiaen, 72085, Le Mans Cedex 9, France
| | - Jutta Rieger
- Sorbonne Université & CNRS (UMR 8232), Institut Parisien de Chimie Moléculaire (IPCM), Polymer Chemistry Team, 4 Place Jussieu, 75252, Paris Cedex 05, France
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Lodge TP, Seitzinger CL, Seeger SC, Yang S, Gupta S, Dorfman KD. Dynamics and Equilibration Mechanisms in Block Copolymer Particles. ACS POLYMERS AU 2022; 2:397-416. [PMID: 36536887 PMCID: PMC9756915 DOI: 10.1021/acspolymersau.2c00033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2022] [Revised: 08/10/2022] [Accepted: 08/10/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Self-assembly of block copolymers into interesting and useful nanostructures, in both solution and bulk, is a vibrant research arena. While much attention has been paid to characterization and prediction of equilibrium phases, the associated dynamic processes are far from fully understood. Here, we explore what is known and not known about the equilibration of particle phases in the bulk, and spherical micelles in solution. The presumed primary equilibration mechanisms are chain exchange, fusion, and fragmentation. These processes have been extensively studied in surfactants and lipids, where they occur on subsecond time scales. In contrast, increased chain lengths in block copolymers create much larger barriers, and time scales can become prohibitively slow. In practice, equilibration of block copolymers is achievable only in proximity to the critical micelle temperature (in solution) or the order-disorder transition (in the bulk). Detailed theories for these processes in block copolymers are few. In the bulk, the rate of chain exchange can be quantified by tracer diffusion measurements. Often the rate of equilibration, in terms of number density and aggregation number of particles, is much slower than chain exchange, and consequently observed particle phases are often metastable. This is particularly true in regions of the phase diagram where Frank-Kasper phases occur. Chain exchange in solution has been explored quantitatively by time-resolved SANS, but the results are not well captured by theory. Computer simulations, particularly via dissipative particle dynamics, are beginning to shed light on the chain escape mechanism at the molecular level. The rate of fragmentation has been quantified in a few experimental systems, and TEM images support a mechanism akin to the anaphase stage of mitosis in cells, via a thin neck that pinches off to produce two smaller micelles. Direct measurements of micelle fusion are quite rare. Suggestions for future theoretical, computational, and experimental efforts are offered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy P. Lodge
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Minnesota 207 Pleasant St SE, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
- Department
of Chemical Engineering & Materials Science, University of Minnesota 451 Washington Ave SE, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - Claire L. Seitzinger
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Minnesota 207 Pleasant St SE, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - Sarah C. Seeger
- Department
of Chemical Engineering & Materials Science, University of Minnesota 451 Washington Ave SE, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - Sanghee Yang
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Minnesota 207 Pleasant St SE, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - Supriya Gupta
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Minnesota 207 Pleasant St SE, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - Kevin D. Dorfman
- Department
of Chemical Engineering & Materials Science, University of Minnesota 451 Washington Ave SE, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
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Watanabe T, Wang Y, Ono T, Chimura S, Isono T, Tajima K, Satoh T, Sato SI, Ida D, Yamamoto T. Topology and Sequence-Dependent Micellization and Phase Separation of Pluronic L35, L64, 10R5, and 17R4: Effects of Cyclization and the Chain Ends. Polymers (Basel) 2022; 14:polym14091823. [PMID: 35566993 PMCID: PMC9105568 DOI: 10.3390/polym14091823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2022] [Revised: 04/26/2022] [Accepted: 04/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The topology effects of cyclization on thermal phase transition behaviors were investigated for a series of amphiphilic Pluronic copolymers of both hydrophilic–hydrophobic–hydrophilic and hydrophobic–hydrophilic–hydrophobic block sequences. The dye solubilization measurements revealed the lowered critical micelle temperatures (TCMT) along with the decreased micellization enthalpy (ΔHmic) and entropy (ΔSmic) for the cyclized species. Furthermore, the transmittance and dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurements indicated a block sequence-dependent effect on the clouding phenomena, where a profound decrease in cloud point (Tc) was only found for the copolymers with a hydrophilic–hydrophobic–hydrophilic block sequence. Thus, the effect of cyclization on these critical temperatures was manifested differently depending on its block sequence. Finally, a comparison of the linear hydroxy-terminated, methoxy-terminated, and cyclized species indicated the effect of cyclization to be unique from a simple elimination of the terminal hydrophilic moieties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomohisa Watanabe
- Graduate School of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-8628, Hokkaido, Japan; (T.W.); (Y.W.); (S.C.)
| | - Yubo Wang
- Graduate School of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-8628, Hokkaido, Japan; (T.W.); (Y.W.); (S.C.)
| | - Tomoko Ono
- Division of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-8628, Hokkaido, Japan; (T.O.); (T.I.); (K.T.); (T.S.); (S.S.)
| | - Satoru Chimura
- Graduate School of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-8628, Hokkaido, Japan; (T.W.); (Y.W.); (S.C.)
| | - Takuya Isono
- Division of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-8628, Hokkaido, Japan; (T.O.); (T.I.); (K.T.); (T.S.); (S.S.)
| | - Kenji Tajima
- Division of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-8628, Hokkaido, Japan; (T.O.); (T.I.); (K.T.); (T.S.); (S.S.)
| | - Toshifumi Satoh
- Division of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-8628, Hokkaido, Japan; (T.O.); (T.I.); (K.T.); (T.S.); (S.S.)
| | - Shin-ichiro Sato
- Division of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-8628, Hokkaido, Japan; (T.O.); (T.I.); (K.T.); (T.S.); (S.S.)
| | - Daichi Ida
- Department of Polymer Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, Katsura 615-8510, Kyoto, Japan;
| | - Takuya Yamamoto
- Division of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-8628, Hokkaido, Japan; (T.O.); (T.I.); (K.T.); (T.S.); (S.S.)
- Correspondence:
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Pantelidou MS, García Daza FA, Avalos JB, Mackie AD. Universal Scaling for the Exit Dynamics of Block Copolymers from Micelles at Short and Long Time Scales. Macromolecules 2022; 55:914-927. [PMID: 35177871 PMCID: PMC8842487 DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.1c02387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2021] [Revised: 01/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
![]()
The correlation function
for the exit of poloxamer copolymers from
equilibrated micelles is found to show up to four regimes depending
on the chain flexibility: an initial fast reorganization, a logarithmic
intermediate regime, followed by an exponential intermediate regime,
and a final exponential decay. The logarithmic intermediate regime
has been observed experimentally and attributed to the polydispersity
of the polymer samples. However, we present dynamic single-chain mean-field
theory simulations with chains of variable flexibility which show
the same logarithmic relaxation but with strictly monodisperse systems.
In agreement with our previous studies, we propose that this logarithmic
response arises from a degeneracy of energy states of the hydrophobic
block in the micelle core. For this to occur, a sufficiently large
number of degenerate conformational states are required, which depend
on the polymer flexibility and therefore should not be present for
rigid polymers. Experimental results for monodisperse polymeric samples
claiming the absence of such a logarithmic response may also lack
a sufficient number of hydrophobic blocks for the required number
of configurational states for this type of response to be seen. The
insight gained from analyzing the simulation results allows us to
propose a modified Eyring equation capable of reproducing the observed
dynamic behavior. On scaling experimental results from different sources
and systems according to this equation, we find a unique master curve
showing a universal nature of the intermediate regimes: the logarithmic
regime together with the secondary exponential decay. The terminal
exponential regime at long times proposed by the standard Halperin
and Alexander model is beyond the range of the data analyzed in this
article. The universality observed suggests an entropic origin of
the short-time dynamic response of this class of systems rather than
the polydispersity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria S. Pantelidou
- Departament d’Enginyeria Química, ETSEQ, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona 43007, Spain
| | - Fabián A. García Daza
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, United Kingdom
| | - Josep Bonet Avalos
- Departament d’Enginyeria Química, ETSEQ, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona 43007, Spain
| | - Allan D. Mackie
- Departament d’Enginyeria Química, ETSEQ, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona 43007, Spain
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