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Anionic Polymerization of an Amphiphilic Copolymer for Preparation of Block Copolymer Micelles Stabilized by π-π Stacking Interactions
Published on: October 10, 2016
Amphiphilic block copolymer nanotubes and vesicles stabilized by photopolymerization
A Jofre1, J B Hutchison, R Kishore
1Physics Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau Drive, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, USA.
Abstract:
We report on a new method to stabilize nanotube and vesicle structures created from amphiphilic diblock copolymers by means of photopolymerization. Cross-linking with UV light exposure minimizes fluid disruption during stabilization. Additionally, the spatial control afforded by focusing or masking the initiating light source enables stabilization of distinct segments of individual nanostructures. This contribution demonstrates (1) that vesicles and nanotubes formed from poly(ethylene oxide)-block-polybutadiene are stabilized by exposure to UV light in the presence of a water-soluble photoinitiator and (2) that new nanotube geometries can be constructed by means of spot-curing, and (3) it reveals an application for photopolymerized nanotubes by showing electrophoresis of DNA through a UV-stabilized nanotube.
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