Tuning the properties of PS-block copolymers and their assembly into polymersomes

The diblock copolymer polystyrene-b-polyisocyanoalanine(2-thiophene-3-yl-ethyl)amide (PS-PIAT) was prepared by reacting the isocyanide monomer (1) with a Ni(ii) initiator complex prepared from polystyrene amine (PS40NH2), either obtained by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) or anionic polymerization (AP). It was found that polymerization of optically pure 1 followed first-order kinetics in monomer concentration and resulted in the formation of insoluble block copolymers, whereas the rate of polymerization of optical mixtures of 1 was retarded and yielded block copolymers that were better soluble. Furthermore, PS-PIAT polymersomes of which the PS-block was prepared by AP were more stable than polymersomes of which the PS-block was prepared by ATRP, as was indicated by combined turbidity and dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurements on the aggregate solutions.