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Updated: May 22, 2026

Anionic Polymerization of an Amphiphilic Copolymer for Preparation of Block Copolymer Micelles Stabilized by π-π Stacking Interactions
Published on: October 10, 2016
Well-defined amphiphilic poly(2-oxazoline) ABA-triblock copolymers and their aggregation behavior in aqueous solution
Christian Krumm1, Christoph P Fik, Monika Meuris
1Chair of Biomaterials and Polymer Science, Department of Bio- and Chemical Engineering, TU Dortmund, Dortmund, Germany.
Abstract:
Self-organization of block copolymers in solution is a way to obtain advanced functional superstructures. The synthesis of well-defined polymethyloxazoline-block-polyphenyloxazoline-block-polymethyloxazoline triblock copolymers is described and proven by (1) H NMR spectroscopy, SEC, and ESI-MS. The surprisingly water- soluble block copolymers do self-organize in aqueous solutions uniquely forming three coexisting well-defined structures: unimolecular micelles, micellar aggregates, and very form-stable polymersomes. This is the first example of a polymersome forming ABA-triblock copolymer with a glassy middle block. The spherical vesicles are analysed by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. It could be shown that these vesicles are indeed hollow spheres.
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