Purely salt-responsive micelle formation and inversion based on a novel schizophrenic sulfobetaine block copolymer: structure and kinetics of micellization

A novel sulfobetaine block copolymer, poly(N-(morpholino)ethyl methacrylate)-b-poly(4-(2-sulfoethyl)-1-(4-vinylbenzyl)pyridinium betaine) (PMEMA-b-PSVBP), was synthesized via reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerization. In aqueous solution, PMEMA homopolymer becomes insoluble in the presence of Na2SO4 (>0.6 M), whereas PSVBP homopolymer molecularly dissolves in the presence of NaBr (>0.2 M). Thus, PMEMA-b-PSVBP diblock copolymer exhibits purely salt-responsive "schizophrenic" micellization behavior in aqueous solution, forming two types of micelles with invertible structures, that is, PMEMA-core and PSVBP-core micelles, depending on the concentrations and types of added salts (Scheme 1). The equilibrium structures of these two types of micelles were characterized via a combination of 1H NMR and laser light scattering (LLS). We further investigated the kinetics of salt-induced formation/dissociation of PMEMA-core and PSVBP-core micelles and the structural inversion between them employing the stopped-flow light scattering technique. In the presence of 0.5 M NaBr, the addition of Na2SO4 (>0.6 M) induces the formation of PMEMA-core micelles stabilized with well-solvated PSVBP coronas. Dilution-induced dissociation of PMEMA-core micelles into unimers occurs within the dead time of the stopped-flow apparatus (approximately 2-3 ms) when the final Na2SO4 concentration drops below 0.3 M, while salt-induced breakup of PSVBP-core micelles is considerably slower. The structural inversion from PMEMA-core to PSVBP-core micelles proceeds first with the dissociation of PMEMA-core micelles into unimers, followed by the formation of PSVBP-core micelles. On the other hand, structural inversion from PSVBP-core to PMEMA-core micelles exhibits different kinetic sequences. Immediately after the salt jump, PMEMA corona chains are rendered insoluble, and unstable PSVBP-core micelles undergo intermicellar fusion; this is accompanied and/or followed by the solvation of PSVBP cores and structural inversion into colloidally stable PMEMA-core micelles.