Giant vesicles prepared by nitroxide-mediated photo-controlled/living radical polymerization-induced self-assembly

Giant vesicles with several-micrometer diameters were prepared by self-assembly induced by the nitroxide-mediated photo-controlled/living radical polymerization. The random block copolymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) and methacrylic acid (MAA) were performed using poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA) as the prepolymer in an aqueous methanol solution to produce a PMAA-block-poly(MMA-random-MAA) random block copolymer (PMAA-b-P(MMA-r-MAA)). PMAA₁₉₅-b-P(MMA_0.817-r-MAA_0.183)₂₂₄ formed spherical vesicles with a 4.74 μm diameter and 0.108 μm wall thickness. A differential scanning calorimetry analysis demonstrated that the vesicles had a bilayer structure consisting of a hydrophilic PMAA surface and hydrophobic P(MMA-r-MAA) interface. The wet vesicles before air-drying were flexible and easily transformed by stress, whereas the dry vesicles were fragile and cracked. The vesicles in the solution were dissociated into much smaller vesicles by increasing the temperature. They were also transformed by a further temperature increase into hollow fibers and finally into membranes retaining the bilayer structure.