A small-angle neutron scattering investigation of the structure of highly swollen block copolymer micelles

Ionic Strength-Dependent Structure of Complex Coacervate Core Micelles

Salt concentration-dependent structure of complex coacervate core micelles (C3Ms), formed by polyether-based block copolyelectrolytes containing cationic ammonium (A) or anionic sulfonate (S) groups in aqueous media, is investigated by light scattering and small-angle X-ray/neutron scattering (SAX/NS). As the salt concentration increases, both a core radius (Rcore) and an aggregation number (Nagg) significantly decrease, but a corona thickness (Lcorona) is nearly unchanged. Larger salt concentrations can lower the interfacial tension between the coacervate cores and aqueous media, resulting in an increased interfacial area per chain and a more relaxed conformation of the core blocks. Based on the structure characterization, the scaling relationship between structure parameters (i.e., Rcore, Nagg, and Lcorona) and salt concentration is obtained and compared to the theoretical description estimated by the free energy balance between the entropic penalty of core stretching and the interfacial energy. We propose that the free energy contribution of the core block stretching is not negligible in C3Ms because of the highly swollen cores caused by water.

Scaling Relationship of Complex Coacervate Core Micelles: Role of Core Block Stretching

The scaling relationship of complex coacervate core micelles (C3Ms) has been investigated experimentally and theoretically. The C3Ms are formed by mixing two oppositely charged block copolyelectrolyte solutions (i.e., AB + AC system) and are characterized by small-angle neutron (SANS) and X-ray scattering (SAXS). Scaling relationships for micellar structure parameters, including core radius, total radius, corona thickness, and aggregation number, all with respect to the core block length, are determined. A scaling theory is also proposed by minimizing the free energy per chain, leading to four regimes depending on the core and corona chain conformations. Although the corona block is significantly longer than the core block, the structure of our C3Ms is consistent with that of the crew-cut I regime. A highly swollen core by water enables the core blocks to be stretched significantly and corona chains to be minimally overlapped.

Determining population densities in bimodal micellar solutions using contrast-variation small angle neutron scattering

Self-assembly of amphiphilic polymers in water is of fundamental and practical importance. Significant amounts of free unimers and associated micellar aggregates often coexist over a wide range of phase regions. The thermodynamic and kinetic properties of the microphase separation are closely related to the relative population density of unimers and micelles. Although the scattering technique has been employed to identify the structure of micellar aggregates as well as their time-evolution, the determination of the population ratio of micelles to unimers remains a challenging problem due to their difference in scattering power. Here, using small-angle neutron scattering (SANS), we present a comprehensive structural study of amphiphilic n-dodecyl-PNIPAm polymers, which shows a bimodal size distribution in water. By adjusting the deuterium/hydrogen ratio of water, the intra-micellar polymer and water distributions are obtained from the SANS spectra. The micellar size and number density are further determined, and the population densities of micelles and unimers are calculated to quantitatively address the degree of micellization at different temperatures. Our method can be used to provide an in-depth insight into the solution properties of microphase separation, which are present in many amphiphilic systems.

Structural Analysis of Bottlebrush Block Copolymer Micelles Using Small-Angle X-ray Scattering

We present structural analysis of spherical diblock copolymer micelles where core blocks have bottlebrush architecture. The dependence of the core radius (R_core) and the corona thickness (L_corona) on the core block length (N_core) is investigated using small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and discussed in terms of the stiffness of a core-forming polymer posed by its long fluoroalkyl side chains. The conformation of the core block is strongly stretched, and the measured exponents α and β from power-law correlations, R_core ∼ N_core^α and L_corona ∼ N_core^β, respectively, are greater than those from any scaling predictions for block copolymer micelles with a flexible, linear core-block. Such deviations are attributed to the appreciable chain stiffness of the bottlebrush core block, and a simple model is suggested to understand how the core block stiffness influences both the dimensions of core and corona.

Effect of Ionic Group on the Complex Coacervate Core Micelle Structure

Pairs of ionic group dependence of the structure of a complex coacervate core micelle (C3M) in an aqueous solution was investigated using DLS, cryo-TEM, and SANS with a contrast matching technique and a detailed model analysis. Block copolyelectrolytes were prepared by introducing an ionic group (i.e., ammonium, guanidinium, carboxylate, and sulfonate) to poly(ethylene oxide-b-allyl glycidyl ether) (NPEO = 227 and NPAGE = 52), and C3Ms were formed by simple mixing of two oppositely-charged block copolyelectrolyte solutions with the exactly same degree of polymerization. All four C3Ms are spherical with narrow distribution of micelle dimension, and the cores are significantly swollen by water, resulting in relatively low brush density of PEO chains on the core surface. With the pair of strong polyelectrolytes, core radius and aggregation number increases, which reflects that the formation of complex coacervates are significantly sensitive to the pairs of ionic groups rather than simple charge pairing.

Self-assembly of poly(4-methylstyrene)-g-poly(methacrylic acid) graft copolymer in selective solvents for grafts: scattering and molecular dynamics simulation study

Poly(4-methylstyrene)-g-poly(methacrylic acid) (P4MS-g-PMAA) graft copolymer was synthesized by the grafting-onto method from poly(4-methylstyrene), selectively brominated on methyl groups, and "living" poly(tert-butyl methacrylate). The average degree of polymerization of the backbone and the grafts and the average number of grafts per backbone were 251, 21, and 25, respectively. The self-assembly of P4MS-g-PMAA was studied in methanol and aqueous buffers (selective solvents for grafts). Micelles of P4MS-g-PMAA in methanol were studied by a combination of static and dynamic light scattering, TEM and SAXS. It was found that their spherical core/shell morphology resembles that of diblock copolymer micelles but they have a very low aggregation number (approximately 3) and a high cmc (approximately 0.8 mg/mL). The spherical core-shell structure revealed by SAXS was confirmed by the molecular dynamics study emulating an associate of comblike copolymers with structural parameters close to those of the experimentally studied system. Because P4MS-g-PMAA was not directly soluble in water, its aqueous solutions had to be prepared by dialysis of the methanolic solutions. In aqueous solutions, unlike in methanol, small P4MS-g-PMAA micelles (approximately 20 nm in diameter) form large secondary aggregates (approximately 100-400 nm).

Structure of poly(styrene-b-ethylene-alt-propylene) diblock copolymer micelles in squalane

The temperature dependence of the micellar structures formed by poly(styrene-b-ethylene-alt-propylene) (SEP) diblock copolymers in squalane, a highly selective solvent for the PEP blocks, has been studied using dynamic light scattering (DLS) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). Four SEP diblock copolymers were prepared by sequential anionic polymerization of styrene and isoprene, followed by hydrogenation of the isoprene blocks, to yield SEP(17-73), SEP(26-66), SEP(36-69), and SEP(42-60), where the numbers indicate block molecular weights in kDa. All four polymers formed well-defined spherical micelles. In dilute solution, DLS provided the temperature-dependent mean hydrodynamic radius, R(h), and its distribution, while detailed fitting of the SAXS profiles gave the core radius, R(c), the equivalent hard sphere radius, R(hs), and an estimate of the aggregation number, N(agg). In general, the micelles became smaller as the critical micelle temperature (CMT) was approached, which was well above the glass transition of the core block. As concentration increased the micelles packed onto body centered cubic lattices for all four copolymers, which underwent order-disorder transitions upon heating near the dilute solution CMTs. The results are discussed in terms of current understanding of block copolymer solution self-assembly, and particular attention is paid to the issue of equilibration, given the high glass transition temperature of the core block.

Pressure effects revealed by small angle neutron scattering on block copolymer gels

We study the effects of hydrostatic pressure (P) on aqueous solutions and gels of the block copolymer B(20)E(610) (E, oxyethylene; B, oxybutylene; subscripts, number of repeats), by performing simultaneous small angle neutron scattering/pressure experiments. Micellar cubic gels were studied for 9.5 and 4.5 wt % B(20)E(610) at T = 20-80 and 35-55 degrees C, respectively, while micellar isotropic solutions where studied for 4.5 wt % B(20)E(610) at T > 55 degrees C. We observed that the interplanar distance d 110 (cubic unit cell parameter a = [see text for formula]) decreases while the correlation length of the cubic order (delta) increases, upon increasing P at a fixed T for 9.5 wt % B(20)E(610). The construction of master curves for d(110) and delta corresponding to 9.5 wt % B(20)E(610) proved the correlation between changes in T and P. Neither d(110) and delta nor the cubic-isotropic phase transition temperature was affected by the applied pressure for 4.5 wt % B(20)E(610). The dramatic contrast between the pressure-induced behavior observed for 9.5 and 4.5 wt % B(20)E(610) suggests that pressure induced effects might be more effectively transmitted through samples that present wider domains of cubic structure order (9.5 wt % compared to 4.5 wt % B(20)E(610)).

Cosolvent Effects on the Micellization of Oxyphenyl(copoly)ethylene Oxide Copolymers in Aqueous Solution

In the present paper, we have analyzed how the presence of ethanol affects the micellization process of two structurally related polyoxyethylene block copolymers with diblock and triblock architectures (diblock, S15E63; triblock, E67S15E67) and the same hydrophobic block length, formed by oxyphenylethylene units, through surface tension, static and dynamic light scattering, density, ultrasound velocity, transmission electron microscopy, and steady-state fluorescence techniques. E and S denote the oxyethylene (-OCH2CH2) and oxyphenylethylene (-OCH2CH(C6H5)) units, respectively, and the subscripts the block length. The effect of increasing amounts of ethanol in solution gives rise to a progressive disruption of the micelle structures formed by these copolymers, with an increase in the critical micelle concentration (cmc) values and a decrease in the micellar aggregation number. This originated from the deswelling of the poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) chains due to a decrease of the water content, accompanied by a reduction of the solvophobicity and an increase of the solubility of the S blocks, causing the lowering of the interfacial tension between the polyoxyphenylethylene core and the solvent, and favoring the swelling of hydrophobic blocks. Therefore, to achieve thermodynamic equilibrium, the micelle size should be smaller. A model derived from small angle neutron scattering (SANS) data is also applied to get extra information on micelle structure. With the aim of obtaining information about the hydration of micellar solutions of these block copolymers, compressibility and fluorescence data were collected. The increase of compressibility with ethanol addition confirms the swelling of the hydrophobic polyoxyphenylethylene chains. Fluorescence data show that the addition of ethanol to the solution decreases the polarity, favoring the solubilization of the oxyphenylethylene chains in the mixed solvent as single monomers. Aggregation data derived from this technique are in fair agreement with those obtained from light scattering.

Structure and rheology of aqueous micellar solutions and gels formed from an associative poly(oxybutylene)-poly(oxyethylene)-poly(oxybutylene) triblock copolymer

The structure and shear flow behaviour of aqueous micellar solutions and gels formed by an amphiphilic poly(oxybutylene)-poly(oxyethylene)-poly(oxybutylene) triblock copolymer with a lengthy hydrophilic poly(oxyethylene) block has been investigated by rheology, small angle neutron scattering (SANS) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). SANS revealed that bridging of chains between micelles introduces, in the micellar solution, an attractive long-range component which can be described through a potential of interaction corresponding to sticky soft spheres. The strength of the attractive interaction increases with increasing concentration. Rheology showed that the dependence of the storage modulus with temperature can be explained as a function of the micellar bridging, micellisation and phase morphology. SAXS studies showed that the orientation adopted by the system in the gel phase under shear is similar to that previously observed by us for the gel phase of a poly(oxyethylene)-poly(oxybutylene) diblock copolymer with a long poly(oxyethylene) chain, suggesting that the micellar corona/core length ratio and not the architecture of the block copolymer influences the alignment of the gel phase under shear.

Structure and interactions of block copolymer micelles of Brij 700 studied by combining small-angle X-ray and neutron scattering

Spherical micelles of the diblock copolymer/surfactant Brij 700 (C(18)EO(100)) in water (D(2)O) solution have been investigated by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and small-angle neutron scattering (SANS). SAXS and SANS experiments are combined to obtain complementary information from the two different contrast conditions of the two techniques. Solutions in a concentration range from 0.25 to 10 wt % and at temperatures from 10 to 80 degrees C have been investigated. The data have been analyzed on absolute scale using a model based on Monte Carlo simulations, where the micelles have a spherical homogeneous core with a graded interface surrounded by a corona of self-avoiding, semiflexible interacting chains. SANS and SAXS data were fitted simultaneously, which allows one to obtain extensive quantitative information on the structure and profile of the core and corona, the chain interactions, and the concentration effects. The model describes the scattering data very well, when part of the EO chains are taken as a "background"contribution belonging to the solvent. The effect of this becomes non-negligible at polymer concentrations as low as 2 wt %, where overlap of the micellar coronas sets in. The results from the analysis on the micellar structure, interchain interactions, and structure factor effects are all consistent with a decrease in solvent quality of water for the PEO block as the theta temperature of PEO is approached.

Chemically tuned amphiphilic diblock copolymers dispersed in water: from colloids to soluble macromolecules

We investigate by small-angle scattering the structural behavior in water of a family of asymmetric poly(styrene-stat-(acrylic acid))-block-poly(acrylic acid), i.e., P(S-stat-AA)-b-PAA, diblock copolymers. These diblocks are of constant block ratio and increasing molar fraction, phi(AA), ranging from 0 to 1, of acrylic acid in the first P(S-stat-AA) statistical block. We identify three types of structural behavior in water: (i) for phi(AA) </= 0.25, the structures found in water are out-of-equilibrium micelle-like objects, reminiscent of the macrophase separation in the solid state, with no reorganization upon dispersion; (ii) for phi(AA) >/= 0.50, the diblocks dispersions in water are at equilibrium. For high phi(AA), the diblocks are soluble in water, demonstrating that a transition from colloid-like objects to soluble macromolecules is achieved. Close to the transition, (phi(AA) approximately 0.50), the diblocks form objects interpreted as comprising a water-swollen core formed by the P(S-stat-AA) block, surrounded by a swollen brush composed of the majority PAA block, above a apparent critical micelle concentration. However, these diblocks do not behave as macrosurfactants, and their self-association behavior is rather interpreted as a microphase separation which can arise from the incompatibility between two polymer blocks P(S-stat-AA) and PAA placed in a common solvent water.

Swelling behavior of self-assembled monolayers of alkanethiol-terminated poly(ethylene glycol): a neutron reflectometry study

The swelling behavior of alkanethiol-terminated poly(ethylene glycol) with an average molecular weight of 2180 Da (i.e., approximately 45 ethylene glycol, EG, units) in contact with water was investigated by neutron reflectometry as a function of the morphology of the PEG-SH layer. Amorphous films at a low grafting density show significant swelling with an increase of the film thickness from approximately 25 A in the dry state to approximately 70 A in contact with D2O, which corresponds to a total water uptake of approximately 38 mass %. In contrast, quasi-crystalline monolayers exhibit only a small amount of water penetrating into the film (approximately 8 mass %) with a corresponding change of the layer thickness from approximately 110 to approximately 125 A. The water uptake per EG unit corresponds to the literature value of 1.5 for the amorphous layer and to only 0.25 in the case of the quasi-crystalline film.

Origin of the thermoreversible fcc-bcc transition in block copolymer solutions

The thermoreversible fcc-bcc transition in concentrated block copolymer micellar solutions is shown to be driven by decreases in the aggregation number as the solvent penetrates the core, leading to a softer intermicelle potential. Small-angle neutron scattering measurements in a dilute solution are used to quantify the temperature-dependent micellar characteristics. The observed phase boundary is in excellent agreement with recent simulations of highly branched star polymers.

Temperature-dependent micellar structures in poly(styrene-b-isoprene) diblock copolymer solutions near the critical micelle temperature

The temperature dependence of the micelle structures formed by poly(styrene-b-isoprene) (SI) diblock copolymers in the selective solvents diethyl phthalate (DEP) and tetradecane (C14), which are selective for the PS and PI blocks, respectively, have been investigated by small angle neutron scattering (SANS). Two nearly symmetric SI diblock copolymers, one with a perdeuterated PS block and the other with a perdeuterated PI block, were examined in both DEP and C14. The SANS scattering length density of the solvent was matched closely to either the core or the corona block. The resulting core and corona contrast data were fitted with a detailed model developed by Pedersen and co-workers. The fits provide quantitative information on micellar characteristics such as aggregation number, core size, overall size, solvent fraction in the core, and corona thickness. As temperature increases, the solvent selectivity decreases, leading to substantial solvent swelling of the core and a decrease in the aggregation number and core size. Both core and corona chains are able to relax their conformations near the critical micelle temperature due to a decrease in the interfacial tension, even though the corona chains are always under good solvent conditions.