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Updated: Aug 15, 2026

Forming Giant-sized Polymersomes Using Gel-assisted Rehydration
Published on: May 26, 2016
Recognition-induced polymersomes: structure and mechanism of formation
Oktay Uzun1, Hao Xu, Eunhee Jeoung
1Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA.
Abstract:
Random polystyrene copolymers grafted with complementary recognition elements were combined in chloroform producing vesicular aggregates, that is, recognition-induced polymersomes (RIPs). Reflection interference contrast microscopy (RICM) in solution, coupled with optical microscopy (OM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) on solid substrates, were used to determine the wall thickness of the RIPs. Rather than a conventional mono- or bilayer structure (approximately 10 or approximately 20 nm, respectively) the RIP membrane was 43+/-7 nm thick. Structural arrangement of the polymer chains on the RIP wall were characterized by using angle-resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (AR-XPS). The interior portion of the vesicle membrane was found to be more polar, containing more recognition units, than the exterior part. This gradient suggests that a rapid self-sorting of polymers takes place during the formation of RIPs, providing the likely mechanism for vesicle self-assembly.
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