Temperature dependence of micelle shape transitions in copolymer solutions: the role of inter-block incompatibility

The nature of the transition between worm-like and spherical micelles in block copolymer dispersions varies between systems. In some formulations, heating drives a transition from worms to spheres, while in other systems the same transition is induced by cooling. In addition, a sphere-worm interconversion can be accompanied either by an increase or a decrease in the core solvation, even if the direction of the temperature dependence is the same. Here, self-consistent field theory is used to provide a potential explanation of this range of behaviour. Specifically, we show that, within this model, the dependence of the transition on the incompatibility χ_BS of the solvophobic block B and the solvent S (the parameter most closely related to the temperature) is strongly influenced by the incompatibility χ_AB between B and the solvophilic block A. When χ_AB is small (χ_AB < 0.1), it is found that increasing χ_BS produces a transition from worm-like micelles to spheres (or, more generally, from less curved to more curved structures). When χ_AB is above 0.1, increasing χ_BS drives the system from spheres to worm-like micelles. Whether a transition is observed within a realistic range of χ_BS is also found to depend on the fraction of solvophilic material in the copolymer. The relevance of our calculations to experiments is discussed, and we suggest that the direction of the temperature dependence may be controlled not only by the solution behaviour of the solvophobic block (upper critical solution temperature-like versus lower critical solution temperature-like) but also by χ_AB.