嵌段序列对聚合物囊泡形成过程影响的Monte Carlo模拟

采用Monte Carlo模拟方法研究了具有相同链长和组分比的不同嵌段序列的AB两嵌段共聚物与ABA三嵌段共聚物在选择性溶剂中形成囊泡的动力学过程. 模拟结果表明, AB两嵌段共聚物囊泡的形成与ABA三嵌段共聚物囊泡的形成的动力学过程不同. 在慢速退火条件下, ABA三嵌段共聚物囊泡是通过亲水链段向胶束的表面和中心扩散而形成的, 而AB两嵌段共聚物囊泡则由片层弯曲闭合而形成. 相对而言, 退火速度对AB两嵌段共聚物囊泡形成的动力学过程没有显著影响, 其改变仅影响亲水链段与疏水链段发生相分离的难易程度. 当退火速度较快时, 亲水链段和疏水链段发生相分离的速度较快且相分离发生在囊泡形成之前; 而当退火速度较慢时亲水链段和疏水链段之间的相分离在囊泡形成之后仍在进行.     

Self-assembly of amphiphilic ABC star triblock copolymers and their blends with AB diblock copolymers in solution: self-consistent field theory simulations

The self-assembled morphologies of amphiphilic ABC star triblock copolymers consisting of hydrophilic A blocks and hydrophobic B and C blocks and the blends with their counterpart linear AB diblock copolymers in solution are investigated by 2D real-space implementation of self-consistent field theory (SCFT) simulation. The star triblock copolymers self-assemble in solution to form various micellar structures from hamburger, to segmented wormlike, to toroidal segmented micelles, and finally to vesicles with simultaneously increasing hydrophobic lengths of blocks B and C. When the length of hydrophobic blocks B and C is asymmetric, specific bead-on-string worm micelles are found. Particularly, when the star ABC triblock copolymer is in a strong segregation regime and both B and C blocks are strongly hydrophobic, quite long segmented wormlike micelles are obtained, which had not been found in previously investigated diblock and linear ABC triblock copolymers solution. Additionally, raspberry micelles with beads dispersed on the core also occur in the strong segregation regime of bulk star ABC triblock copolymers. Furthermore, the aggregate morphology of ABC star triblock copolymers is strongly influenced by the addition of linear AB diblock copolymers. The most significant feature is that the long segmented worms will become shorter, to form hamburger micelles with the addition of AB diblock copolymers. These simulations are in good agreement with the experimental findings by Lodge's group.     

杂臂星型嵌段共聚物在溶液中自组装形成囊泡结构的计算机模拟

利用耗散粒子动力学模拟方法, 研究了杂臂星型嵌段共聚物A_m(B_n)₂在溶液中自组装形成囊泡的行为. 主要分析了自组装过程、亲水分枝和疏水分枝的长度及分子构型对组装结构的影响. 结果表明, 杂臂星型聚合物在溶液中会自组装形成碟状胶束, 之后弯曲闭合形成囊泡. 当亲水部分的分枝较短时, 易于形成囊泡结构; 在可形成囊泡结构的条件下, 双分子层囊泡膜的厚度随分枝长度的增加而增加. 与构成相近的线型嵌段共聚物相比, 杂臂星型嵌段共聚物更易形成囊泡结构, 且形成的囊泡结构较薄.     

Computer simulation of architectural and molecular weight effects on the assembly of amphiphilic linear-dendritic block copolymers in solution

Langevin dynamics simulations are performed on linear-dendritic diblock copolymers containing bead-spring, freely jointed chains composed of hydrophobic linear monomers and hydrophilic dendritic monomers. The critical micelle concentration (CMC), micelle size distribution, and shape are examined as a function of dendron generation and architecture. For diblock copolymers with a linear block of fixed length, it is found that the CMC increases with increasing dendron generation. This trend qualitatively agrees with experiments on linear-dendritic diblock and triblock copolymers with hydrophilic dendritic blocks and hydrophobic linear blocks. The flexibility of the dendritic block is altered by varying the number of spacer monomers between branch points in the dendron. When comparing linear-dendritic diblock copolymers with similar molecular weights, it is shown that increasing the number of spacer monomers in the dendron lowers the CMC due to an increase in flexibility of the dendritic block. Analysis on the micellar structure shows that linear-dendritic diblock copolymers pack more densely than what would be expected for a linear-linear diblock copolymer of the same molecular weight.     

Aggregate morphologies of amphiphilic ABC triblock copolymer in dilute solution using self-consistent field theory

The complex microstructures of amphiphilic ABC linear triblock copolymers in which one of the end blocks is relatively short and hydrophilic, and the other two blocks B and C are hydrophobic in a dilute solution, have been investigated by the real-space implementation of self-consistent field theory (SCFT) in two dimensions (2D). In contrast to diblock copolymers in solution, the aggregation of triblock copolymers are more complicated due to the presence of the second hydrophobic blocks and, hence, big ranges of parameter space controlling the morphology. By tailoring the hydrophobic degree and its difference between the blocks B and C, the various shapes of vesicles, circlelike and linelike micelles possibly corresponding to spherelike, and rodlike micelles in 3D, and especially, peanutlike micelles not found in diblock copolymers are observed. The transition from vesicles to circlelike micelles occurs with increasing the hydrophobicity of the blocks B and C, while the transition from circlelike micelles to linelike micelles or from the mixture of micelles and vesicles to the long linelike micelles takes place when the repulsive interaction of the end hydrophobic block C is stronger than that of the middle hydrophobic block B. Furthermore, it is favorable for dispersion of the block copolymer in the solvent into aggregates when the repulsion of the solvent to the end hydrophobic block is larger than that of the solvent to the middle hydrophobic block. Especially when the bulk block copolymers are in a weak segregation regime, the competition between the microphase separation and macrophase separation exists and the large compound micelle-like aggregates are found due to the macrophase separation with increasing the hydrophobic degree of blocks B and C, which is absent in diblock copolymer solution. The simulation results successfully reproduce the existing experimental ones.     

New amphiphilic diblock copolymers: surfactant properties and solubilization in their micelles

Several series of amphiphilic diblock copolymers are investigated as macrosurfactants in comparison to reference low-molar-mass and polymeric surfactants. The various copolymers share poly(butyl acrylate) as a common hydrophobic block but are distinguished by six different hydrophilic blocks (one anionic, one cationic, and four nonionic hydrophilic blocks) with various compositions. Dynamic light scattering experiments indicate the presence of micelles over the whole concentration range from 10(-4) to 10 g x L(-1). Accordingly, the critical micellization concentrations are very low. Still, the surface tension of aqueous solutions of block copolymers decreases slowly but continuously with increasing concentration, without exhibiting a plateau. The longer the hydrophobic block, the shorter the hydrophilic block, and the less hydrophilic the monomer of the hydrophilic block is, the lower the surface tension is. However, the effects are small, and the copolymers reduce the surface tension much less than standard low-molar-mass surfactants. Also, the copolymers foam much less and even act as anti-foaming agents in classical foaming systems composed of standard surfactants. The copolymers stabilize O/W emulsions made of methyl palmitate as equally well as standard surfactants but are less efficient for O/W emulsions made of tributyrine. However, the copolymer micelles exhibit a high solubilization power for hydrophobic dyes, probably at their core-corona interface, in dependence on the initial geometry of the micelles and the composition of the block copolymers. Whereas micelles of copolymers with strongly hydrophilic blocks are stable upon solubilization, solubilization-induced micellar growth is observed for copolymers with moderately hydrophilic blocks.     

Bilayers and interdigitation in block copolymer vesicles

Amphiphilic block copolyethers assemble into membranes with thickness between 2.4 and 7.5 nm. The vesicular morphology has been confirmed by small-angle X-ray scattering combined with electron microscopy for diblock copolymers and triblock copolymers of both architectures. The scaling of the membrane thicknesses with the length of the hydrophobic block is in good agreement with the strong segregation theory for block copolymer melts, indicating a mixed and stretched conformation of the hydrophobic chain inside the vesicle membrane. This result is in contrast to previously published results where the hydrophobic membranes were observed to have bilayer geometry and polymer chains that are relatively unperturbed from their ideal Gaussian dimensions.     

Microfluidic fabrication of monodisperse biocompatible and biodegradable polymersomes with controlled permeability

We describe a versatile technique for fabricating monodisperse polymersomes with biocompatible and biodegradable diblock copolymers for efficient encapsulation of actives. We use double emulsion as a template for the assembly of amphiphilic diblock copolymers into vesicle structures. These polymersomes can be used to encapsulate small hydrophilic solutes. When triggered by an osmotic shock, the polymersomes break and release the solutes, providing a simple and effective release mechanism. The technique can also be applied to diblock copolymers with different hydrophilic-to-hydrophobic block ratios, or mixtures of diblock copolymers and hydrophobic homopolymers. The ability to make polymer vesicles with copolymers of different block ratios and to incorporate different homopolymers into the polymersomes will allow the tuning of polymersome properties for specific technological applications.     

多分散性对两亲性两嵌段共聚物在选择性溶剂中自组装行为影响的Monte Carlo模拟

采用Monte Carlo模拟方法研究了多分散性AB两亲性两嵌段共聚物在选择性溶剂中的自组装行为.模拟结果表明,嵌段共聚物的多分散性对体系在选择性溶剂中自组装所形成的胶束形貌结构有很大影响.当AB两嵌段共聚物的多分散系数由1.0增加至1.4时,体系中自组装所形成的胶束将会发生由囊泡到片层直至球状的一系列形态转变.通过统...     

Synthesis and characterization of amphiphilic diblock copolymers of methyl tri(ethylene glycol) vinyl ether and isobutyl vinyl ether

Water-soluble diblock copolymers of methyl tri(ethylene glycol) vinyl ether (hydrophilic block) and isobutyl vinyl ether (hydrophobic block) of different molecular weights and composition were synthesized by living cationic polymerization. The molecular weight and comonomer composition of these copolymers were determined by GPC and ¹H NMR spectroscopy, respectively. Aqueous solutions of the copolymers were characterized in terms of their micellar behavior using dynamic light scattering, aqueous GPC, and dye solubilization. All the copolymers formed aggregates with the exception of a diblock copolymer with only two hydrophobic monomer units. The micellar hydrodynamic size scaled with the 0.61 power of the number of hydrophobic units, in good agreement with a theoretical exponent of 0.73. An increase in the length of the hydrophobic block at constant hydrophilic block length or an increase in the overall polymer size at constant block length ratio both resulted in lower critical micelle concentrations (cmcs). The cloud points of 1% w/w aqueous solutions of the polymers were determined by turbidimetry. An increase in the length of the hydrophobic block at constant hydrophilic block length caused a decrease in the cloud points of the copolymers. However, an increase in the overall polymer size at constant block length ratio led to an increase in the cloud point. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Continuous polydispersity in a self-consistent field theory for diblock copolymers

An efficient algorithm is presented for numerically evaluating a self-consistent field theoretic (SCFT) model of an AB diblock copolymer that incorporates continuous polydispersity in one of the blocks. An interesting segregation effect is found in which chains of intermediate molecular weight are concentrated at domain interfaces. This model of continuous polydispersity is also implemented in the random phase approximation (RPA) to study the order-disorder transition and predicts that the stability of the disordered, homogeneous phase decreases as the polydispersity in one of the blocks increases. The RPA predictions are confirmed by SCFT calculations. Our approach and results are particularly relevant to block copolymers prepared by quasiliving synthesis techniques, where the polymerization of one block is much more controlled than the other block.     

Amphiphilic diblock,triblock, and star block copolymers by living radical polymerization: Synthesis and aggregation behavior

Copper(I)‐mediated living radical polymerization was used to synthesize amphiphilic block copolymers of poly(n‐butyl methacrylate) [P(n‐BMA)] and poly[(2‐dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate] (PDMAEMA). Functionalized bromo P(n‐BMA) macroinitiators were prepared from monofunctional, difunctional, and trifunctional initiators: 2‐bromo‐2‐methylpropionic acid 4‐methoxyphenyl ester, 1,4‐(2′‐bromo‐2′‐methyl‐propionate)benzene, and 1,3,5‐(2′‐bromo‐2′‐methylpropionato)benzene. The living nature of the polymerizations involved was investigated in each case, leading to narrow‐polydispersity polymers for which the number‐average molecular weight increased fairly linearly with time with good first‐order kinetics in the monomer. These macroinitiators were subsequently used for the polymerization of (2‐dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate to obtain well‐defined [P(n‐BMA)_x‐b‐PDMAEMA_y]_z diblock (15,900; polydispersity index = 1.60), triblock (23,200; polydispersity index = 1.24), and star block copolymers (50,700; polydispersity index = 1.46). Amphiphilic block copolymers contained between 60 and 80 mol % hydrophilic PDMAEMA blocks to solubilize them in water. The polymers were quaternized with methyl iodide to render them even more hydrophilic. The aggregation behavior of these copolymers was investigated with fluorescence spectroscopy and dynamic light scattering. For blocks of similar comonomer compositions, the apparent critical aggregation concentration (cac = 3.22–7.13 × 10^?3 g L^?1) and the aggregate size (ca. 65 nm) were both dependent on the copolymer architecture. However, for the same copolymer structure, increasing the hydrophilic PDMAEMA block length had little effect on the cac but resulted in a change in the aggregate size. © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 439–450, 2002; DOI 10.1002/pola.10122     

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.     

Monolayer films of PS-b-PEO diblock copolymers at the air/water- and an oil/water-interface

 Amphiphilic diblock copolymers consisting of a hydrophobic polystyrene block (PS) and a hydrophilic poly(ethylene oxide) block (PEO) with block sizes of 1000 or 3000 g/mol for both blocks were studied at the air/water and toluene/water interface. Measurements of the film pressure π of spread monolayers at the water surface reveal two limiting regimes of the π−a _m isotherms, in which the mean molecular area a _m is determined either by the size of the hydrophilic or the hydrophobic blocks of the PS-PEO molecules. The interfacial activity of the block copolymers at the toluene/water interface was studied by measuring the interfacial tension σ over a wide range of concentrations. Pronounced differences in the temperature dependence of the interfacial tension were observed, depending mostly on the block length of the hydrophilic PEO block. From the temperature dependence of σ it is inferred that for the block copolymers with the PEO block size of 3000 g/mol the phase inversion temperature (PIT) is well above 60 °C while for those with a PEO block size of 1000 g/mol the PIT is below or near 25 °C in the toluene/water system. Received: 5 February 1998 Accepted: 16 February 1998     

The synthesis and self‐assembly of ABA amphiphilic block copolymers containing styrene and oligo(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate in dilute aqueous solutions: Elevated cloud point temperatures for thermoresponsive micelles

A series of ABA amphiphilic triblock copolymers possessing polystyrene (PS) central hydrophobic blocks, one group with “short” PS blocks (DP = 54–86) and one with “long” PS blocks (DP = 183–204) were synthesized by atom transfer radical polymerization. The outer hydrophilic blocks were various lengths of poly(oligoethylene glycol methyl ether) methacrylate, a comb‐like polymer. The critical aggregation concentrations were recorded for certain block copolymer samples and were found to be in the range circa 10⁻⁹ mol L⁻¹ for short PS blocks and circa 10⁻¹² mol L⁻¹ for long PS blocks. Dilute aqueous solutions were analyzed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and demonstrated that the short PS block copolymers formed spherical micelles and the long PS block copolymers formed predominantly spherical micelles with smaller proportions of cylindrical and Y‐branched cylindrical micelles. Dynamic light scattering analysis results agreed with the TEM observations demonstrating variations in micelle size with PS and POEGMA chain length: the hydrodynamic diameters (D_H) of the shorter PS block copolymer micelles increased with increasing POEGMA block lengths while maintaining similar PS micellar core diameters (D_C); in contrast the values of D_H and D_C for the longer PS block copolymer micelles decreased. Surface‐pressure isotherms were recorded for two of the samples and these indicated close packing of a short PS block copolymer at the air–water interface. The aggregate solutions were demonstrated to be stable over a 38‐day period with no change in aggregate size or noticeable precipitation. The cloud point temperatures of certain block copolymer aggregate solutions were measured and found to be in the range 76–93 °C; significantly these were ∼11 °C higher in temperature than those of POEGMA homopolymer samples with similar chain lengths. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 7739–7756, 2008     

Adsorption of hydrophilic-hydrophobic block copolymers on silica from aqueous solutions

Adsorption of a water-soluble diblock copolymer, poly(t-butylstyrene)-sodium poly(styrene sulfonate) (PtBS-NaPSS), on silica surfaces in aqueous solutions was studied using ellipsometry and atomic-force microscopy (AFM). Molar masses of 87 000 and 160 000 g/mol were used. The block copolymers used were compositionally asymmetric, with large, hydrophilic, PSS blocks and small, hydrophobic, PtBS blocks. Adsorption could not be observed in pure water without added salt. When the NaCl concentration was increased to 1 mol/L, adsorption could be readily observed. The measured adsorbed amount at long times was significantly larger for the 87 000 diblock compared with that for a polyelectrolyte homopolymer of comparable molecular size, demonstrating the role played by the uncharged block in anchoring the diblock at the solid surface. The kinetics of adsorption showed a two-stage process, an initial diffusion-limited stage, followed by a slower buildup of surface coverage in a brush-limited stage. The number density of molecules at the surface was smaller for the higher molecular weight species, in agreement with simple scaling arguments.     

Synthesis and thermoreversible gelation of diblock methylcellulose analogues via Huisgen 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition

A novel synthetic method to link acetylated cellulose derivatives with methylated cellulose derivatives via Huisgen 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition was developed to produce 1,2,3-triazole-linked diblock copolymers consisting of hydrophilic cellobiose or low-molecular-weight cellulose and a hydrophobic 2,3,6-tri-O-methyl-cellulose. Huisgen 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition had the advantage over glycosylation reaction of being able to connect a hydrophilic block having higher molecular weight than cellobiose with a hydrophobic 2,3,6-tri-O-methyl-cellulose block. As a consequence, 2.0 wt% aqueous solutions of the 1,2,3-triazole-linked diblock methylcellulose analogues exhibited the thermoreversible gelation in water at around 25 °C as same as that of β-(1 → 4)-linked diblock methylcellulose. Differential scanning calorimetry measurements of 2.0 wt% aqueous solutions of the diblock copolymers revealed that an important structural factor for its thermoreversible gelation was not a β-(1 → 4)-glycosidic linkage between hydrophilic and hydrophobic blocks of diblock methylcellulose, but a sequence of anhydro 2,3,6-tri-O-methyl-glucopyranosyl units and that of unmodified glucopyranosyl ones.     

Structure of ABCA tetrablock copolymer vesicles and their formation in selective solvents: a Monte Carlo study

Vesicles formed by ABCA tetrablock copolymers in solvents that are selective for block A are studied using the Monte Carlo simulation. Simulation results show that the chain length ratio and hydrophobicity of blocks B and C are key factors determining the hydrophobic layer structure of the vesicles. If the B and C blocks are of the same hydrophobicity, the longer block C tends to form the closed hydrophobic layer, whereas the shorter block B is located on the outer surface of the closed hydrophobic layer. However, if the hydrophobicity difference between blocks B and C is high enough, the reverse will occur given that block B has a higher hydrophobicity and block C has a lower hydrophobicity. The kinetics of vesicle formation is also studied. Simulation results reveal that the hydrophobic layer structure is formed through the migration of the polymer chain within the vesicle membrane after the formation of the vesicle profile. This migration is independent of the differences in chain length ratio and the hydrophobicity between the blocks B and C. The packing mode and the migration of polymer chains within the vesicle membrane are also presented and discussed.     

Self-assembling of hydrophobic-hydrophilic copolymers in hydrophobic nanocylindrical tubes: formation of channels

By employing Monte Carlo simulations, the phase behavior of hydrophobic-hydrophilic copolymers confined in hydrophobic nanocylindrical tubes has been investigated by changing the hydrophobic-hydrophilic distribution, the ratio of the hydrophobic to hydrophilic segments, the hydrophobicity of the tube surface, and the tube diameter. The ratio of hydrophobic to hydrophilic segments, the number of blocks in a chain, and the number of segments in a block affected the generation of channels in the central region. Such channels were formed when the hydrophobicity of the tube surface was sufficiently strong for its attraction for the hydrophobic segments to overcome the attraction between the hydrophobic segments. When the numbers of hydrophobic and hydrophilic beads in a chain are constant, the number of blocks has opposite effects in small and large tubes. In the former, the formation of channels is stimulated by a larger number of blocks, while in the latter, it is stimulated by a smaller number of blocks.     

Self-assembly behavior of ABA coil-rod-coil triblock copolymers: a Brownian dynamics simulation approach

The self-assembly behavior of ABA coil-rod-coil triblock copolymers in a selective solvent was studied by a Brownian molecular dynamics simulation method. It was found that the rod midblock plays an important role in the self-assembly of the copolymers. With a decrease in the segregation strength, ?(RR), of rod pairs, the aggregate structure first varies from a smecticlike disk shape to a long twisted string micelle and then to small aggregates. The influence of the block length and the asymmetry of the triblock copolymer on the phase behavior were studied and the corresponding phase diagrams were mapped. It was revealed that the variation of these parameters has a profound effect on microstructure. The simulation results are consistent with experimental results. Compared to rod-coil diblock copolymers, the coil-rod-coil triblock copolymers has a larger entropy penalty associated with the interfacial grafting density of the aggregate, leading to a higher ?(RR) value for structural transitions.