Temperature-driven self-assembly of self-limiting uniform supraparticles from non-uniform unimolecular micelles

In this work, the self-assembly of non-uniform unimolecular micelles constituted of a hyperbranched polyester core decorated with a corona of thermoresponsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAm) chains has been studied. As revealed by dynamic light scattering (DLS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), these unimicelles form uniform supraparticles through a thermally-induced self-limited process, as well as exhibit molecular features commonly observed in PNIPAm-based gels. We believe that these results provide new insights into the application of stimuli-responsive polymeric materials as versatile building blocks to build up soft supraparticles displaying well-defined dimensional characteristics.

Understanding Self-Segregation of Immiscible Peripheral Segments in Pseudodendritic Hyperbranched Polydithioacetals: Formation of Improved Janus Structures

Peripherally heterofunctionalized hyperbranched polymers (HBPs) undergo immiscibility-driven self-segregation of the outer segments to form Janus molecular entities (Macromolecules 2012, 45, 2348). In HBPs prepared via AB₂ type self-condensation, single-step peripheral heterofunctionalization would lead to random distribution of the two types of terminal units, namely, homofunctionalized (homo-T) and heterofunctionalized (hetero-T) termini. Here, we examine the role of such hetero-T units on the self-segregation of heterofunctionalized pseudodendritic hyperbranched polydithioacetals. Three different heterofunctionalized HB dithioacetals bearing roughly 50 mol % each of docsyl (C-22) and MPEG-350 chains at the periphery were prepared: one of them carried a statistical distribution of homo-T and hetero-T units, and the other carried only two types of homo-T (-TR₁R₁ and -TR₂R₂) termini, whereas the third carried largely hetero-T (-TR₁R₂) termini. Careful examination of DSC and SAXS data reveals that the self-segregation is most effective in HBPs devoid of hetero-T units; interestingly, however, it also showed that randomly heterofunctionalized HBPs self-segregated nearly as effectively.