In the recent years, the study of block copolymers has received special attention from polymer scientists, as it has proved to be of a great importance in a variety of fields like life-sciences, tissue engineering, drug delivery, and nanotechnology and material sciences. This has led to a thorough investigation of the “hierarchy of the block copolymer morphology” i.e. the microscopic level chan...

Block copolymers self-assemble into one-, two-, and three-dimensional periodic equilibrium structures, which can exhibit photonic bandgaps. This paper outlines a methodology for producing photonic crystals at optical length scales from block copolymers. Techniques for enhancing the intrinsic dielectric contrast between the block copolymer domains, as well as increasing the characteristic microd...

Studies of the structural polymorphism exhibited by block copolymers in the presence of selective solvents are relatively recent, but very promising in terms of fundamental understanding and practical applications. Highlighting recent advances, this review progresses from ‘dry’ ordered ( ) copolymers to solvated ordered gel-like copolymers and ( ) lastly to solvated disordered but locally organ...

2-(Dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate/styrene statistical copolymers (poly(DMAEMA-stat-styrene)) with feed compositions fDMAEMA = 80–95 mol%, (number average molecular weights Mn = 9.5–11.2 kg mol) were synthesized using succinimidyl ester-functionalized BlocBuilder alkoxyamine initiator at 80 °C in bulk. Polymerization rate increased three-fold on increasing fDMAEMA = 80 to 95 mol%. Linear Mn in...

Facile, one-step synthesis of self-assembling, cationic block copolymers of poly(2-N-(dimethylaminoethyl) methacrylate) (pDMAEMA) and PEO-PPO-PEO (Pluronic®) is developed. The copolymers are obtained via free-radical polymerization of DMAEMA initiated by Pluronic-radicals generated by cerium (IV). The copolymers possess surface activity, are polycationic at pH<7.1, and self-assemble into micell...

Sequential diblock copolymers composed of G and D-lactic acid residues were synthesized through a living ring-opening polymerization of t and D-lactide initiated by aluminium tris(2-propanolate). The composition of the block copolymers was varied by changing the reaction conditions and monomer over initiator ratio and confi ied by 'H NMR analysis, molecular weight determination and optical rota...

Self-assembly of reactive amphiphilic block copolymers is used to prepare nanostructured hydrogels with exceptional permeability properties, vesicular structures and planar, freestanding membranes in aqueous solution. Although the underlying block copolymer membranes are two-three-fold thicker than conventional lipid bilayers, they can be regarded as mimetic of biological membranes and can be u...

Block copolymers constitute a fascinating set of self-assembled materials exhibiting compositional heterogeneities on the nanometer length scale. While traditionally employed as thermoplastic elastomers, asphalt modifiers, and adhesives, the potential of self-assembled block copolymers for nanotechnological applications has been realized in the past decade and many examples have now appeared in...

This chapter is a summary of our work on the design of block copolymer micellar systems with improved solubilization capacity for poorly soluble aromatic drugs. The copolymers of interest are block copoly(oxyalkylene)s with linear dior triblock architecture which combine hydrophilic poly(ethylene oxide) with hydrophobic blocks formed from poly(propylene oxide), poly(1,2-butylene oxide), poly(st...

Biodegradable poly(ethyleneglycol)-poly(valerolactone)-poly(ethyleneglycol) [PEG-PVL-PEG] copolymers were synthesized through ring opening polymerization of δ-valerolactone (VL) followed by the coupling of monomethoxy poly(ethyleneglycol-poly(valerolactone) (mPEG-PVL) with hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI). The copolymers were characterized by (1)H NMR, FT-IR, and GPC. Block copolymers of PEG an...