Mechanism of molecular exchange in diblock copolymer micelles: Hypersensitivity to core chain length

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Abstract

Molecular exchange between spherical micelles formed from isotopically labeled diblock copolymers was investigated using time-resolved small-angle neutron scattering measurements. Temperature changes affect the micelle exchange rate R(t) consistent with melt dynamics for the core polymer. Varying the core block length N produces gigantic changes in R(t) due to the thermodynamic penalty associated with ejecting a core block into the surrounding solvent. This hypersensitivity, combined with modest polydispersity in N, leads to an approximately logarithmic R(t).

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number047802
JournalPhysical review letters
Volume104
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 29 2010

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