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Micelles

Micelles

Micelle formation is an intricate process that hinges on the properties of amphiphilic or amphipathic molecules and the conditions of the system in which they are found. Amphiphilic molecules, which have both hydrophilic (water-attracting) and hydrophobic (water-repelling) parts, play a critical role in this process.In aqueous environments, these molecules arrange themselves such that their hydrophilic heads are turned towards the water phase, while their hydrophobic tails are oriented away...

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Updated: Mar 27, 2026

Controlled Synthesis and Fluorescence Tracking of Highly Uniform PolyN-isopropylacrylamide Microgels

Controlled Synthesis and Fluorescence Tracking of Highly Uniform PolyN-isopropylacrylamide Microgels

Published on: September 8, 2016

Probing the Solution Structure of Amphiphilic Polymer Flower-Micelles Using Fluorescence and Hyper-Rayleigh

Harshita Sardana¹, Sourav Saikia¹, Puspendu Kumar Das¹

¹Department of Inorganic and Physical Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India.

Langmuir : the ACS Journal of Surfaces and Colloids

|March 25, 2026

Summary

Flower micelles self-assemble from polymers in water. Fluorescence probes confirmed micelle core formation, while hyper-Rayleigh scattering revealed intermediate states during polymer self-assembly into these structures.

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Assembly and Characterization of Polyelectrolyte Complex Micelles

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Last Updated: Mar 27, 2026

Controlled Synthesis and Fluorescence Tracking of Highly Uniform PolyN-isopropylacrylamide Microgels

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Published on: September 8, 2016

Synthesis of Cyclic Polymers and Characterization of Their Diffusive Motion in the Melt State at the Single Molecule Level

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Assembly and Characterization of Polyelectrolyte Complex Micelles

Assembly and Characterization of Polyelectrolyte Complex Micelles

Published on: March 2, 2020

Area of Science:

Polymer Chemistry
Supramolecular Chemistry
Materials Science

Background:

Flower micelles are self-assembled nanostructures formed by amphiphilic polymers in aqueous solutions.
These micelles possess a hydrophobic core and a hydrophilic shell, crucial for their properties and applications.
Understanding the self-assembly process and structural confirmation is key to designing advanced materials.

Purpose of the Study:

To confirm the formation of flower micelles using periodically grafted amphiphilic polymers (PGAPs).
To investigate the self-assembly pathway and conformational changes of PGAPs in different solvent environments.
To utilize covalently installed probes for structural elucidation and advanced characterization techniques.

Main Methods:

Synthesis of a periodically grafted amphiphilic polymer (PGAP) with PEG2000 backbone, eicosyl (C20) side chains, and clickable propargyl units.
Covalent installation of fluorescence probes (naphthalimide and pyrene) to probe the micelle core environment.
Hyper-Rayleigh scattering (HRS) studies on a dye-derivatized PGAP and a model surfactant to analyze conformational changes.

Main Results:

Fluorescence spectral features confirmed the location of probes within the hydrophobic core of flower micelles.
HRS studies revealed an unusual variation in second harmonic intensity, indicating an intermediate conformational state during self-assembly.
The intermediate state, characterized by directionally ordered chromophoric clusters, was further supported by studies on a model surfactant.

Conclusions:

Flower micelle formation by PGAPs was successfully confirmed using covalently linked fluorescent probes.
Hyper-Rayleigh scattering provided insights into the conformational pathway during self-assembly, highlighting an intermediate cluster formation.
The study demonstrates a dual approach using fluorescence and HRS to characterize polymer self-assembly and micelle formation.