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Updated: May 10, 2026

Anionic Polymerization of an Amphiphilic Copolymer for Preparation of Block Copolymer Micelles Stabilized by π-π Stacking Interactions
Published on: October 10, 2016
Effect of ion pair formation on the structure of polymer micelles with ionic amphiphilic coronae
A M Rumyantsev1, E Yu Kramarenko
1Physics Department, Moscow State University, Moscow 119991, Russia.
Abstract:
We report a theoretical study of micelles from diblock copolymers with an insoluble core-forming block and an amphiphilic ionic corona-forming block. We calculate the micelle structural parameters depending on the composition of the coronal block (ratio between the non-polar and ion-containing groups) as well as solvent quality and polarity for the coronal block. We focus on the effect of ion pair formation in a low polar corona medium and predict the existence of novel micelles with ionomer-type coronae. In these micelles most part of counterions is bound with ions in polymer chains. Two consecutive jump-like first-order phase transitions between different-type micelles can take place in the solution upon change of hydrophobic/polyelectrolyte balance within the micelle corona: large micelles with polyelectrolyte collapsed coronae → large micelles with ionomer-type coronae → small micelles with polyelectrolyte swollen coronae. These transitions are accompanied by non-monotonous change in the micelle aggregation number. New insight into the role of counterions is important for design of stimuli responsive systems.
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