Structural characterization of amphiphilic homopolymer micelles using light scattering, SANS, and cryo-TEM.

ABSTRACT: We report the aqueous solution self-assembly of a series of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) polymers end-functionalized with a hydrophobic sulfur-carbon-sulfur (SCS) pincer ligand. Although the hydrophobic ligand accounted for <5 wt% of the overall homopolymer mass, the polymers self-assembled into well-defined spherical micelles in aqueous solution, and these micelles are potential precursors to solution-assembled nanoreactors for small molecule catalysis applications. The micelle structural details were investigated using light scattering, cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM), and small angle neutron scattering (SANS). Radial density profiles extracted from the cryo-TEM micrographs suggested that the PNIPAM chains formed a diffuse corona with a radially decreasing c

SUBMITTER: Patterson JP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3777398 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature