The adsorption of amphiphilic poly(ethylene oxide)-b-poly(epsilon-caprolactone) and poly(ethylene oxide)-b-poly(gamma-methyl-epsilon-caprolactone) copolymers in aqueous solution on silica and glass surfaces has been investigated by flow microcalorimetry, small-angle neutron scattering (SANS), surface forces, and complementary techniques. The studied copolymers consist of a poly(ethylene oxide) ...

Amphiphilic norbornene-b-(norbornene dicarboxylic acid) diblock copolymers with different block ratios were prepared as templates for the incorporation of iron ions using an ion exchange protocol. The disordered arrangement of iron oxide particles within these copolymers was attributed to the oxidation of the iron ions and the strong interactions between iron oxide nanoparticles, particularly a...

The self-assembly of block copolymers (BCPs) into a nanostructure with novel morphology and property has attracted an increasing interest as a new approach for materials science, chemical synthesis, and nanofabrication [1,2]. Recently, rod-coil block copolymers have received a great deal of attention since they offer an attractive strategy for the organization of many highly functional rod-like...

The ability to control the micelle size of poly(lactic acid) and poly(ethylene glycol) (PLA–PEG) block copolymers is important for controlling their circulation in blood cell recognition, drug release and therapeutic effects. We successfully controlled the micelle size by changing the block number of copolymers (multiblock index). PLA–PEG multiblock copolymers with multiblock indexes ranging fr...

Four alkyl substituted β-lactones were investigated as monomers in ring opening polymerisation to produce a family of poly(3-hydroxyalkanoate)s. Homopolymers were synthesised using a robust aluminium salen catalyst, resulting in polymers with low dispersity (Đ < 1.1) and predictable molecular weights. ABA triblock copolymers were prepared using poly(L-lactic acid) as the A block and the aforeme...

The self-assembly of block copolymers into a nanostructure with novel morphology and property has attracted an increasing interest as a new approach for materials science, chemical synthesis, and nanofabrication.1,2 Most theoretical and experimental studies have concentrated on the assembly characteristics of coil-coil block copolymers. Recently, rod-coil block copolymers have received a great ...

Hybrid materials constituted by peptides and synthetic polymers have nowadays a great interest since they can combine the properties and functions of each constitutive block, being also possible to modify the final characteristics by using different topologies. Poly(l-lactide-b-l-phenylalanine) copolymers with various block lengths were synthesized by sequential ring-opening polymerization of l...

PEG–PLA hydrogels were prepared by stereocomplexation of poly(lactide) (PLA) blocks of opposite chirality. Gelation occurred upon mixing aqueous solutions of both enantiomers of PEG6500–(PLA)2, PEG12500–(PLA)2 and PEG21800–(PLA)8 block copolymers. Stereocomplexed hydrogels from PEG6500–(PLA)2 polymers were found to be stable up to ~37 8C, while those from PEG12500–(PLA)2 and PEG21800–(PLA)8 blo...