Micellization of non-surface-active diblock copolymers in water. Special characteristics of poly(styrene)-block-poly(styrenesulfonate)

Strongly ionized amphiphilic diblock copolymers of poly(styrene)-b-poly(styrenesulfonate) with various hydrophilic and hydrophobic chain lengths were synthesized by living radical polymerization, and their properties and self-assembling behavior were systematically investigated by surface tension measurement, foam formation, hydrophobic dye solubilization, X-ray reflectivity, dynamic light scattering, small-angle neutron scattering, small-angle X-ray scattering, and atomic force microscope techniques. These copolymer solutions in pure water did not show a decrease of surface tension with increasing polymer concentration. The solutions also did not show foam formation, and no adsorption at the air/water interface was confirmed by reflectivity experiments. However, in 0.5 M NaCl aq solutions polymer adsorption and foam formation were observed. The critical micelle concentration (cmc) was observed by the dye solubilization experiment in both the solutions with and without added salt, and by dynamic light scattering we confirmed the existence of polymer micelles in solution, even though there was no adsorption of polymer molecules at the water surface in the solution without salt. By the small-angle scattering technique, we confirmed that the micelles have a well-defined core-shell structure and their sizes were 100-150 A depending on the hydrophobic and hydrophilic chain length ratio. The micelle size and shape were unaffected by addition of up to 0.5 M salt. The absence of polymer adsorption at the water surface with micelle formation in a bulk solution, which is now known as a universal characteristic for strongly ionized amphiphilic block copolymers, was attributed to the image charge effect at the air/water interface due to the many charges on the hydrophilic segment.     

Virus-sized DNA nanoparticles for gene delivery based on micelles of cationic calixarenes

Macrocyclic amphiphilic molecules based on calix[4]arenes are highly attractive for controlled supramolecular assembly of DNA into small nanoparticles, since they present a unique conical architecture and can bear multiple charged groups. In the present work, we synthesized new amphiphilic calixarenes bearing cationic groups at the upper rim and alkyl chains at the lower rim. Their self-assembly in aqueous solution was characterized by fluorescent probes, fluorescence correlation spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, gel electrophoresis and atomic force microscopy. We found that calixarenes bearing long alkyl chains (octyl) self-assemble into micelles of 6 nm diameter at low critical micellar concentration and present the unique ability to condense DNA into small nanoparticles of about 50 nm diameter. In contrast, the short-chain (propyl) analogues that cannot form micelles at low concentrations failed to condense DNA, giving large polydisperse DNA complexes. Thus, formation of small DNA nanoparticles is hierarchical, requiring assembly of calixarenes into micellar building blocks that further co-assemble with DNA into small virus-sized particles. The latter showed much better gene transfection efficiency in cell cultures relative to the large DNA complexes with the short-chain analogues, which indicates that gene delivery of calixarene/DNA complexes depends strongly on their structure. Moreover, all cationic calixarenes studied showed low cytotoxicity. Thus, this work presents a two-step hierarchical assembly of small DNA nanoparticles for gene delivery based on amphiphilic cone-shaped cationic calixarenes.     

Diagram of State of Stiff Amphiphilic Macromolecules

Summary: We studied coil-globule transitions in stiff-chain amphiphilic macromolecules via computer modeling and constructed phase diagrams for such molecules in terms of solvent quality and persistence length. We showed that the shape of the phase diagram essentially depends on the macromolecule degree of polymerization. Relatively short amphiphilic molecules always form a spherical globule in a poor solvent, and the coil-globule transition includes one or two intermediate conformations, depending on the chain's stiffness. These are a disk-like globule in case of high enough Kuhn segment length, and a pearl necklace-like structure of spherical micelles and a disk-like globule in case of relatively flexible chains. The phase diagram of a long stiff amphiphilic chain was found to be more complex still. Thus three specific regions can be distinguished in the poor solvent region, depending on the chain stiffness. These correspond to a cylindrical globule without any specific backbone ordering, a cylindrical globule containing blobs with collagen-like ordering of the chain, and co-existence of collagen-like and toroidal globules. In the intermediate transition region in this case, apart from the pearl necklace-like conformations with spherical micelles, necklace conformations can be also observed where the polymeric chain has collagen-like ordering within each bead.     

Core-Corona Micelles Formed by Self-Assembly of Random Copolymer and Homopolymer Mixtures: Dissipative Particle Dynamics Simulations

Dissipative particle dynamics simulation was applied to investigate the cooperative aggregation of amphiphilic random copolymer and homopolymer mixtures in selective solvents. The amphiphilic random copolymers were set to contain more hydrophilic segments. The effects of the contents of homopolymers, the chain length of amphiphilic random copolymers, the interaction parameters, as well as the simulation time, on the cooperative aggregation were systematically studied with dissipative particle dynamics simulation method. The results showed that core-corona micelles could be formed with the addition of homopolymers, where the homopolymers accumulate at the core and the amphiphilic random copolymers as the corona. This work demonstrated that the morphology and the size of the micelles could be tuned by the controlled addition of homopolymers in the process of self-assembly.     

Non-surface activity and micellization of ionic amphiphilic diblock copolymers in water. Hydrophobic chain length dependence and salt effect on surface activity and the critical micelle concentration

We reported previously (Macromolecules 2003, 36, 5321; Langmuir, 2004, 20, 7412) that amphiphilic diblock copolymers having polyelectrolytes as a hydrophilic segment show almost no surface activity but form micelles in water. In this study, to further investigate this curious and novel phenomenon in surface and interface science, we synthesized another water-soluble ionic amphiphilic diblock copolymer poly(hydrogenated isoprene)-b-sodium poly(styrenesulfonate) PIp-h2-b-PSSNa by living anionic polymerization. Several diblock copolymers with different hydrophobic chain lengths were synthesized and the adsorption behavior at the air/water interface was investigated using surface tension measurement and X-ray reflectivity. A dye-solubilization experiment was carried out to detect the micelle formation. We found that the polymers used in this study also formed micelles above a certain polymer concentration (cmc) without adsorption at the air-water interface under a no-salt condition. Hence, we further confirmed that this phenomenon is universal for amphiphilic ionic block copolymer although it is hard to believe from current surface and interface science. For polymers with long hydrophobic chains (more than three times in length to hydrophilic chain), and at a high salt concentration, a slight adsorption of polymer was observed at the air-water interface. Long hydrophobic chain polymers showed behavior "normal" for low molecular weight ionic surfactants with increasing salt concentration. Hence, the origin of this curious phenomenon might be the macroionic nature of the hydrophilic part. Dynamic light scattering analysis revealed that the hydrodynamic radius of the block copolymer micelle was not largely affected by the addition of salt. The hydrophobic chain length-cmc relationship was found to be unusual; some kind of transition point was found. Furthermore, very interestingly, the cmc of the block copolymer did not decrease with the increase in salt concentration, which is in clear contrast to the fact that cmc of usual ionic small surfactants decreases with increasing salt concentration (Corrin-Harkins law). These behaviors are thought to be the special, but universal, characteristics of ionic amphiphilic diblock copolymers, and the key factor is thought to be a balance between the repulsive force from the water surface by the image charge effect and the hydrophobic adsorption.     

Supramolecular reactor from self-assembly of rod-coil molecule in aqueous environment

We synthesized an amphiphilic coil-rod-coil triblock molecule consisting of hexa-p-phenylene as a rod block and poly(ethylene oxide) with the number of repeating units of 17 as coil blocks and investigated aggregation behavior in aqueous environment. The rod-coil molecule was observed to aggregate into discrete micelles consisting of hydrophobic disklike rod bundles encapsulated by hydrophilic poly(ethylene oxide) coils. The aromatic bundles of the micelles were demonstrated to be used as an efficient supramolecular reactor for the room temperature Suzuki cross-coupling reaction of a wide range of aryl halides, including even aryl chlorides with phenylboronic acids in aqueous environment. These results demonstrate that self-assembly of amphiphilic rod-coil molecules can provide a useful strategy to construct an efficient supramolecular reactor for aromatic coupling reaction.     

两亲性含糖三嵌段共聚物的合成与自组装研究

以二(2-溴异丁酸)4,4′-联苯酯(BiBBP)为引发剂,采用顺序加料的方法,用原子转移自由基聚合法(ATRP)合成了一系列窄分子量分布的甲基丙烯酸甲酯(MMA)和6-O-甲基丙烯酰基-1,2;3,4-双-O-亚异丙基-α-D-吡喃半乳糖苷(MAIPGal)的三嵌段共聚物.用GPC和1H-NMR表征了聚合物的相对分子量和链段组成.结果表明,通过改变投料顺序可以合成ABA和BAB型2种三嵌段共聚物,改变投料比和控制单体的转化率可以调控聚合物的链段组成.聚合物脱保护后得到两亲性含糖共聚物.用TEM考察了聚合物在水溶液中的自组装行为,表明具有不同链段组成的共聚物可以形成不同形态的聚集体,含糖段组成高的聚合物易于形成大尺寸的胶团,含糖段组成低的聚合物易于形成结构清晰的囊泡、胶束,其中,含糖段在两边的BAB型共聚物易于形成囊泡,含糖段在中央的ABA型共聚物易于形成胶束.     

Guest controlled aggregation of amphiphilic sulfonatomethylated calix[4]resorcinarenes in aqueous solutions

Supramolecular nanoaggregates formed through the association of amphiphilic sulfonatomethylated calix[4]resorcinarenes with different substituents on the lower rim (methyl, pentyl, heptyl) and number of aromatic, aliphatic, and cationic guests differing in their shapes and sizes were investigated in aqueous solution by various NMR techniques ((1)H, 2D NOESY, FT-PGSE). It was shown that slight variations of the alkyl chain length on the lower rim of calixresorcinarenes dramatically change their aggregation behavior. Unlike the other calixresorcinarenes studied, the "head-to-tail" packing mode is observed for calixresorcinarene with pentyl moieties on the lower rim, which is unusual for amphiphilic calixarene aggregates. This calixresorcinarene demonstrates the stronger binding capacity toward the guest molecules due to their encapsulation into the capsule-like aggregate subunits. The guest-host complexation modifies the properties of both components, with the size of the resulted colloid particles being controlled by the guest nature.     

Effect of secondary structure on the self-assembly of amphiphilic molecules: a multiscale simulation study

The self-assembly of amphiphilic molecules is of interest from a fundamental and practical standpoint. There has been recent interest in a class of molecules made from β-amino acids (which contain an additional backbone carbon atom when compared with natural amino acids). Block copolymers of β-peptides, where one block is hydrophobic and the other is hydrophilic, self-assemble into micelles. In this work, we use computer simulations to provide insight into the effect of secondary structure on the self-assembly of these molecules. Atomistic simulations for the free energy of association of a pair of molecules show that a homochiral hydrophobic block promotes self assembly compared to a heterochiral hydrophobic block, consistent with experiment. Simulations of a coarse-grained model show that these molecules spontaneously form spherical micelles.     

Controlled Synthesis of PCL/PVP Copolymer by RAFT Method and Its Hydrophilic Block-Dependent Micellar Behaviors

A range of poly(ε-caprolactone)/poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) amphiphilic block copolymers with well-de ned hydrophilic chain length were synthesized by the living/controlled reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer polymerization method. The composition and struc-ture of the targeted resultants were characterized with ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, FT-IR spec-troscopy and gel permeation chromatography. The various block copolymers were success-fully employed to fabricate the spherical micelle with core-shell morphological structure. The poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) block-dependent characteristics of the copolymeric micelles were investigated by uorescence spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, and transmission electron microscopy. The solubilization of the hydrophobic ibuprofen as a model drug in the micelle solution was also explored. It was found that the drug loading contents are related to the micellar morphology structure determined by hydrophilic chain length in the copolymer.     

DNA‐Based Micelles: Synthesis,Micellar Properties and Size‐Dependent Cell Permeability

Functional nanomaterials based on molecular self‐assembly hold great promise for applications in biomedicine and biotechnology. However, their efficacy could be a problem and can be improved by precisely controlling the size, structure, and functions. This would require a molecular engineering design capable of producing monodispersed functional materials characterized by beneficial changes in size, shape, and chemical structure. To address this challenge, we have designed and constructed a series of amphiphilic oligonucleotide molecules. In aqueous solutions, the amphiphilic oligonucleotide molecules, consisting of a hydrophilic oligonucleotide covalently linked to hydrophobic diacyllipid tails, spontaneously self‐assemble into monodispersed, three‐dimensional micellar nanostructures with a lipid core and a DNA corona. These hierarchical architectures are results of intermolecular hydrophobic interactions. Experimental testing further showed that these types of micelles have excellent thermal stability and their size can be fine‐tuned by changing the length of the DNA sequence. Moreover, in the micelle system, the molecular recognition properties of DNA are intact, thus, our DNA micelles can hybridize with complimentary sequences while retaining their structural integrity. Importantly, when interacting with cell membranes, the highly charged DNA micelles are able to disintegrate themselves and insert into the cell membrane, completing the process of internalization by endocytosis. Interestingly, the fluorescence was found accumulated in confined regions of cytosole. Finally, we show that the kinetics of this internalization process is size‐dependent. Therefore, cell permeability, combined with small sizes and natural nontoxicity are all excellent features that make our DNA–micelles highly suitable for a variety of applications in nanobiotechnology, cell biology, and drug delivery systems.     

两亲性嵌段共聚物的合成及其在离子液体中的自组装行为

采用阴离子开环聚合法合成了两亲性嵌段共聚物PLA-PEG-PLA.用FT-IR,1H NMR和GPC等手段对嵌段共聚物的结构组成进行了表征.两亲性嵌段共聚物在离子液体1-丁基-3-甲基咪唑六氟磷酸盐中能自组装成胶束,用透射电子显微镜观察了聚合物在离子液体中形成胶束的纳米结构.当疏水链长固定时,胶束的自组装形状主要依赖于亲水链的长度.两亲性共聚物在离子液体中可自组装成可控制结构的纳米胶束,这种纳米结构胶束在很多领域具有广泛的应用前景.     

Association behavior of fluorine-containing and non-fluorine-containing methacrylate-based amphiphilic diblock copolymer in aqueous media

Fluorine-containing amphiphilic block copolymers, poly(sodium methacrylate)-block-poly(nonafluorohexyl methacrylate) (NaMAm-b-NFHMAn) (m:n = 61:12, 72:33, 64:57), and the corresponding non-fluorine-containing amphiphilic block copolymer, poly(sodium methacrylate)-block-poly(hexyl methacrylate) (NaMAm-b-HMAn) (m:n = 64:10, 69:37, 67:50), were synthesized. Both polyNaMA-b-polyNFHMA and polyNaMA-b-polyHMA formed micelles above critical micelle concentrations, (cmc's), around 3 x 10(-5) to 1 x 10(-4) mol/L, while neither polymer decreased surface tension of aqueous solutions. The size and shape of the micelles were examined by dynamic light scattering, small-angle neutron scattering, and small-angle X-ray scattering. PolyNaMA-b-polyHMA appeared to form only spherical micelles, while polyNaMA-b-polyNFHMA with a long NFHMA segment formed both spherical and rodlike micelles. The micelles of fluorine-containing block copolymers were obviously larger than those of non-fluorine-containing block copolymers with the same chain length and the same hydrophilic/hydrophobic chain ratio. The fluorine-containing block copolymer selectively solubilized fluorinated dye into the water phase when a mixture of decafluorobiphenyl and 2,6-dimethylnaphthalene was added to the micelle solution.     

On the extension of polysoaps: The Gaussian approximation

Polysoaps are linear hydrophilic chains that incorporate, at intervals, covalently bound amphiphilic monomers. In water, the amphiphilic monomers self assemble into intrachain micelles thus endowing the chain with a secondary structure. The relaxation of the secondary structure upon deformation qualitatively modifies the elastic behaviour of polysoaps in accordance with the LeChatelier principle. For long polysoaps a regime in which the tension in the chain, f, is independent of the end to end distance R, f ˜ R° is predicted. The extension of long polysoaps is analysed for the particularly simple case when the backbone obeys Gaussian statistics and excluded volume interactions are neglected.     

Counterion‐Controlled Self‐Sorting in an Amphiphilic Calixarene Micellar System

Molecular recognition of small molecules and ions by artificial receptors in microheterogeneous media such as micelles and vesicles can, in principle, provide better models of biological systems in comparison with bulk solutions. In this work we have investigated the complexation of an organic fluorescent probe with amphiphilic calixarene receptor below and above the critical micelle concentration (CMC). For concentrations below the CMC, the probe forms a host–guest complex with the calixarene behaving like a traditional host–guest system operating in bulk solution. Above the CMC, multiple equilibrium processes are established and the probe can exchange between the recognition site of the calixarene in the monomeric state, micellized state and/or the micellar hydrophobic core. Careful analysis of the results obtained from NMR spectroscopy and fluorescence experiments allowed us to propose a quantitative model to describe the system. The increment of the local concentration of Na⁺ counterions at the Stern layer displace the dye to the micelle core through competitive binding of Na⁺ in the cavity of the receptor and is decisive for the observed self‐sorting behavior.     

Effect of packing parameter on phase diagram of amphiphiles: an off-lattice Gibbs ensemble approach

We determine the phase diagram of several amphiphilic molecules as a function of the amphiphilic parameter alpha defined as the ratio of the volume of hydrophilic to hydrophobic segments using the Gibbs ensemble Monte Carlo method supplemented by configurational bias scheme. Specifically, we study amphiphilic molecules h(1)t(7), h(2)t(6), and h(3)t(5), for which alpha=0.14, 0.33, and 0.60 respectively, and demonstrate that the former two exhibit phase separation while h(3)t(5) forms micelles, supporting the contention that alpha=0.5 is the border line for phase separation and micellization, as observed in previous lattice Monte Carlo studies [Panagiotopoulos et al., Langmuir 18, 2940 (2002)]. Further, we study the phase separation in amphiphilic molecules as a function of the packing parameter by varying the size of the hydrophilic head for each molecule. We find that a larger hydrophilic head lowers the critical temperature T(c), and raises the critical density rho(c).     

Conventional synthesis of amphiphilic block copolymer utilized for polymeric micelle by mechanochemical solid-state polymerization

The first example is presented here of an amiphiphilic block copolymer synthesized by mechanochemical solid-state polymerization and used to form polymeric micelles. A model amphiphilic block copolymer was synthesized first, possessing galactose as a hydrophilic side chain and theophylline as a hydrophobic side chain, by mechanochemical solid-state polymerization. The resulting copolymer had a narrow molecular weight distribution. Polymeric micelle formation was subsequently carried out with the copolymer by a dialysis method. To gain insight into the physicochemical properties of the polymeric micelle, dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurements were performed. A narrow distribution of diameters was observed in the polymeric micelle solution, and these micelles were disrupted by the addition of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). It was also confirmed by DLS measurements that the polymeric micelles were spherical. These results suggested that the block copolymer synthesized by mechanochemical solid-state polymerization was as suitable for the preparation of polymeric micelles as materials obtained by living polymerization.     

Self-assembly of Amphiphilic Linear Diblock Rod-Coil Molecules by Hydrogen Bond and π-π Stacking Interactions

Aromatic amphiphilic molecules(1) consisting of three biphenyl groups linked together with ether bonds as a rigid rod segment and poly(ethylene oxide) with the number of repeating units of 17 as a coil segment were synthesized, and their self-assembly behavior in the bulk state and aqueous solution was investigated. In bulk, molecules 1 self-assembled into 1-D lamellar structure in the solid state or smectic A phase in the liquid crystalline phase via the cooperative effects of ?-? stacking, micro-phase separation and hydrogen bond interactions. In dilute aqueous solutions, molecules 1 were observed to selfassemble into cylindrical micelles owned uniform diameter and length of hundreds of nanometers.     

Hierarchically Ordered Self‐Assembly of Amphiphilic Bifullerenes

A series of novel functionalised dumbbell‐shaped bifullerenes in which two [5.0] pentakis‐adducts of C₆₀ are covalently connected by cyclic bismalonates were synthesised. These dimeric compounds, carrying various combinations of hydrophilic and hydrophobic addends, self‐assemble in aqueous solution towards supramolecular architectures of different structural complexity as observed by cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo‐TEM). The detailed analysis of the image data revealed an unprecedented hierarchical aggregation behaviour. Whereas completely hydrophilic substituted bifullerenes formed profoundly monodisperse populations of small oligomeric elementary micelles consisting of only three or four bifullerene molecules in a supposedly bent conformation, their amphiphilic equivalents underwent a hierarchical two‐step assembly process towards larger spherical and even rod‐like structures. The data suggest that the hierarchical assembly process is driven by hydrophobic interactions of preformed tetrameric elementary micelles.