Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 3, 2026

Assembly and Characterization of Polyelectrolyte Complex Micelles
Published on: March 2, 2020
Complex Polymeric Architectures Self-Assembling in Unimolecular Micelles: Preparation, Characterization and Drug
Stefania Ordanini1, Francesco Cellesi2
1Dipartimento di Chimica, Materiali ed Ingegneria Chimica "G. Natta", Politecnico di Milano, Via Mancinelli 7, 20131 Milan, Italy. stefania.ordanini@polimi.it.
Abstract:
Unimolecular polymeric micelles are a class of single-molecule amphiphilic core-shell polymeric architectures, where the hydrophobic core is well stabilized by the hydrophilic shell, avoiding intermolecular core-core interactions. Multi-arm copolymers with a dendritic core, as well as hyperbranched and comb-like polymers, can form unimolecular micelles easily. In this review, examples of polymers able to form detectable unimolecular micelles will be presented, summarizing the analytical techniques used to characterize the unimolecular micelles and discriminate them from other supramolecular aggregates, such as multi-micelle aggregates. Unimolecular micelles are suitable for the nanoencapsulation of guest molecules. Compared to traditional supramolecular micelles, unimolecular micelles do not disassemble under dilution and are stable to environmental modifications. Recent examples of their application as drug delivery systems, endowed with increased stability and transport properties, will be discussed.
Related Concept Videos
Protein Complex Assembly
Many viruses self-assemble into a fully functional unit using the infected host cell to...
Protein Complex Assembly
Assembly of Signaling Complexes
Interaction domains in cell signaling
Interaction domains recognize exposed features of their binding partners containing post-translationally modified sequences,...
Assembly of Complex Microtubule Structures
Polymer Classification: Architecture
Olefin Metathesis Polymerization: Ring-Opening Metathesis Polymerization (ROMP)

