Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 22, 2025

Preparation of Monodomain Liquid Crystal Elastomers and Liquid Crystal Elastomer Nanocomposites
Published on: February 6, 2016
Polymersomes from Amphiphilic Glycopolymers Containing Polymeric Liquid Crystal Grafts
Khalid Ferji1,2,3, Cécile Nouvel1,2, Jérôme Babin1,2
1Université de Lorraine, Laboratoire de Chimie Physique Macromoléculaire LCPM, UMR 7375, Nancy F-54000, France.
Abstract:
For the first time, polymersomes were obtained by self-assembly in water of amphiphilic grafted glycopolymers based on dextran polysaccharidic backbone and polymeric liquid crystal grafts (poly(diethylene glycol cholesteryl ether acrylate), PDEGCholA). After measuring the properties of these glycopolymers in term of surfactancy, the influence of their structural parameters on their self-assemblies once dispersed in water was investigated by static and dynamic light scattering and by cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM). Based on the results, a proper design of Dex-gN-PDEGCholAF leads to hollow vesicular structure formulation known as polymersome.
Related Concept Videos
Characteristics and Nomenclature of Copolymers
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...
Polymers
Step-Growth Polymerization: Overview
Many natural and synthetic polymers are produced by...
Cationic Chain-Growth Polymerization: Mechanism
Molecular Weight of Step-Growth Polymers
As the step-growth polymerization involves step-wise condensation of monomers, the molecular weight also builds up eventually. Consequently, high molecular weight polymers are obtained at the late stages of the polymerization, where 99% of monomers have been consumed.
The extent of the...

