Block copolymer aggregates in mixtures of immiscible solvents

N. Dan-Brandon, M. Tirrell

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Block copolymers act as surfactants in mixtures of two immiscible, inversely selective solvents. The copolymer aggregates at the liquid-liquid interface, leading to the formation of stable microemulsion droplets. Scaling arguments are employed to evaluate the free energy of a single, spherical diblock copolymer aggregate by accounting for the dependence of monomer density on radial distance. The aggregation number and interface curvature are found to be a strong function of the core block molecular weight, and only to a lesser degree of the interfacial tension.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)189-194
Number of pages6
JournalJournal of Macromolecular Science, Part A
Volume29
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 1 1992

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