Crystallization-driven self-assembly of polyethylene-b-poly(tert-butylacrylate) (PE-b-PtBA) block copolymers (BCPs) in N,N-dimethyl formamide (DMF) was studied. It is found that all three PE-b-PtBA BCPs used in this work can self-assemble into one-dimensional crystalline cylindrical micelles. When the BCP solution is cooled to crystallization temperature (Tc) from 130 °C, the seed micelles may ...

Micelles formed by the long-chain piperidinium ionic liquids (ILs) N-alkyl-N-methylpiperidinium bromide of general formula CnPDB (n = 12, 14, 16) in ethylammonium nitrate (EAN) were investigated through surface tension and dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) simulations. Through surface tension measurements, the critical micelle concentration (cmc), the effectiveness of surface tension reductio...

For applications of block copolymer mixtures as potential new nano-vehicles for delivery, understanding the components mixing characteristics are of special interest. In our previous study [1], we showed that interactions between a biological charged diblock-copolymer like protein, betacasein, and a synthetic uncharged synthetic triblock copolymer, Lutrol F-127, lead to the formation of mixed m...

The temperature and pH dependent self-assembly of three star shaped ethylene oxide-propylene oxide (EO-PO) block copolymers (Tetronics® 304, 904 and 908) with widely different hydrophobicity was examined in aqueous solutions. Physico-chemical methods viz. viscosity, cloud point, solubilization along with thermal, scattering and spectral techniques shows strongly temperature and salt dependent s...

Paclitaxel (PTX), a potent anti-cancer drug, is poorly soluble in water, and this has been a major limitation in developing patient friendly formulations for clinical applications. Recent studies on polymeric micelles, especially hydrotropic polymer micelles, have suggested an alternative formulation of PTX based on their high loading capacity and physical stability in aqueous media. The presen...