Metallo‐supramolecular block copolymer micelles: Improved preparation and characterization

Micelles prepared from amphiphilic block copolymers in which a poly(styrene) segment is connected to a poly(ethylene oxide) block via a bis‐(2,2′:6′,2″‐terpyridine‐ruthenium) complex have been intensely studied. In most cases, the micelle populations were found to be strongly heterogeneous in size because of massive micelle/micelle aggregation. In the study reported in this article we tried to improve the homogeneity of the micelle population. The variant preparation procedure developed, which is described here, was used to prepare two “protomer”‐type micelles: PS₂₀‐[Ru]‐PEO₇₀ and PS₂₀‐[Ru]‐PEO₃₇₅. The dropwise addition of water to a solution of the compounds in dimethylformamide was replaced by the controlled addition of water by a syringe pump. The resulting micelles were characterized by sedimentation velocity and sedimentation equilibrium analyses in an analytical ultracentrifuge and by transmission electron microscopy of negatively stained samples. Sedimentation analysis showed virtually unimodal size distributions, in contrast to the findings on micelles prepared previously. PS₂₀‐[Ru]‐PEO₇₀ micelles were found to have an average molar mass of 318,000 g/mol (corresponding to 53 protomers per micelle, which is distinctly less than after micelle preparation by the standard method) and an average hydrodynamic diameter (d_h) of 18 nm. For PS₂₀‐[Ru]‐PEO₃₇₅ micelles, the corresponding values were M = 603,000 g/mol (31 protomers per micelle) and d_h = 34 nm. The latter particles were found to be identical to the “equilibrium” micelles prepared in pure water. Both micelle types had a very narrow molar mass distribution but a much broader distribution of s values and thus of hydrodynamic diameters. This indicates a conformational heterogeneity that is stable on the time scale of sedimentation velocity analysis. The findings from electron microscopy were in disagreement with those from the sedimentation analysis both in average micelle diameter and in the width of the distributions, apparently because of imperfections in the staining procedure. The preparation procedure described also may be useful in micelle formation from other types of protomers. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 4458–4465, 2004     

Ground state pressure and energy density of an interacting homogeneous Bose gas in two dimensions

We consider an interacting homogeneous Bose gas at zero temperature in two spatial dimensions. The properties of the system can be calculated as an expansion in powers of g, where g is the coupling constant. We calculate the ground state pressure and the ground state energy density to second order in the quantum loop expansion. The renormalization group is used to sum up leading and subleading logarithms from all orders in perturbation theory. In the dilute limit, the renormalization group improved pressure and energy density are expansions in powers of the T ^2B and T ^2Bln(T ^2B), respectively, where T ^2B is the two-body T-matrix. Received 19 April 2002 Published online 13 August 2002     

A supramolecular hydrogen‐bonded complex between 1,3,5‐tris(diisobutylhydroxysilyl)benzene and trans‐bis(4‐pyridyl)ethylene

The trisilanol 1,3,5‐(HOi‐Bu₂Si)₃C₆H₃ ( 7 ), prepared in three steps from 1,3,5‐tribromobenzene via the intermediates 1,3,5‐(Hi‐Bu₂Si)₃C₆H₃ ( 8 ) and 1,3,5‐(Cli‐Bu₂Si)₃C₆H₃ ( 9 ) forms an equimolar complex with trans‐bis(4‐pyridyl)ethylene (bpe), 7 ·bpe, whose structure was investigated by X‐ray crystallography. The hydrogen‐bonded network features a number of SiO? H(H)Si and SiO? H hydrogen bridges. Evidence was found for cooperative strengthening within the sequential hydrogen bonds. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Metallo‐supramolecular micelles: Studies by analytical ultracentrifugation and electron microscopy

In aqueous solutions, amphiphilic block copolymers in which a polystyrene (PS) segment is connected to a poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) block via a bis(2,2′:6′,2″‐ terpyridine ruthenium) complex can form micelles. Such micelles of the protomer type PS₂₀‐[Ru]‐PEO₇₀, according to the preparation procedure representing frozen micelles, were studied by sedimentation velocity and sedimentation equilibrium analysis in an analytical ultracentrifuge and by transmission electron microscopy, with different techniques applied for the sample preparation. The particles obtained were surprisingly multifarious in size. In ultracentrifugation experiments performed at relatively low salt concentrations, the distributions of the sedimentation coefficient s_20,w showed a pronounced peak at 9.6 S and a broad, only partly separated second peak around 14 S. The molar mass of the particles at the peak was around 430,000 g/mol, corresponding to an aggregation number of approximately 85. The average hydrodynamic diameter of the particles in the peak fraction was approximately 13 nm. In electron micrographs of negatively stained samples, spheres of diameters between 10 and 25 nm were the most abundant particles, but larger ones with a wide size range were also visible. The latter particles apparently were composed of smaller ones. The data from both sedimentation analysis and electron microscopy showed that (1) the studied compound formed primary micelles of diameters around 20 nm and (2) the primary micelles had a tendency toward aggregation. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 3159–3168, 2003