Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 31, 2026

Self-assembling Morphologies Obtained from Helical Polycarbodiimide Copolymers and Their Triazole Derivatives
Published on: February 7, 2017
Tuning the sphere-to-rod transition in the self-assembly of thermoresponsive polymer hybrids
Jangwook Lee1, Honghyun Park2, Eun Ju Jeong2
1Department of Bioengineering, Hanyang University, Seoul 133-791, Republic of Korea; Center for Theragnosis, Biomedical Research Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul 136-791, Republic of Korea.
Abstract:
Nano-scale drug delivery systems have undergone extensive development, and control of size and structure is critical for regulation of their biological responses and therapeutic efficacy. Amphiphilic polymers that form self-assembled structures in aqueous media have been investigated and used for the diagnosis and therapy of various diseases, including cancer. Here, we report the design and fabrication of thermoresponsive polymeric micelles from alginate conjugated with poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm). Alginate-PNIPAAm hybrids formed self-aggregated structures in response to temperature changes near body temperature. A structural transition from micellar spheres to rods of alginate-PNIPAAm hybrids was observed depending on the molecular weight of PNIPAAm and the polymer concentration. Additionally, hydrogels with nanofibrous structures were formed by simply increasing the polymer concentration. This approach to controlling the structure of polymer micelles from nanoparticles to fibrous hydrogels may be useful in applications in drug delivery and tissue engineering.
More Related Videos
16:24Controlling the Size, Shape and Stability of Supramolecular Polymers in Water
Published on: August 2, 2012
12:07Fabricating Degradable Thermoresponsive Hydrogels on Multiple Length Scales via Reactive Extrusion, Microfluidics, Self-assembly, and Electrospinning
Published on: April 16, 2018
Related Concept Videos
Polymer Classification: Crystallinity
Crystalline domains are the regions where polymer chains are aligned in an orderly manner and held together in proximity by intermolecular forces. For example, chains in the crystalline domains of polyethylene and nylon are bound together by van der Waals...
Polymer Classification: Stereospecificity
Step-Growth Polymerization: Overview
Many natural and synthetic polymers are produced by...
Cationic Chain-Growth Polymerization: Mechanism