Self-assembly of amphiphilic asymmetric comb-like copolymers with responsive rigid side chains

Amphiphilic asymmetric comb-like copolymers (AACCs) exhibit distinct self-assembly behaviours due to their unique architecture. However, the synthetic difficulties of well-defined AACCs have prohibited a systematic understanding of the architecture-morphology relationship. In this work, we conducted dissipative particle dynamics simulations to investigate the self-assembly behaviours of AACCs with responsive rigid side chains in selective solvents. The effects of side chain length, number of branches, and spacers on the morphology of aggregates were investigated by mapping out morphology diagrams. Besides, the numbers and surface areas of aggregates clearly depicted the morphological transitions during the self-assembly process. Moreover, the rod-to-coil conformation transitions were simulated to explore the stimuli-responsive behaviour of the AACCs with responsive rigid side chains by adjusting the bond angle parameter of the rigid chains. The results indicated that without the support of the rigid chains, the assembly structure collapsed, leading to the tube-to-channelized micelles and one-compartment-to-multicompartment vesicle morphology transformations. The simulation results are consistent with earlier experimental results, which can provide theoretical guidance for assembly toward desired nanostructures.