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 language | English (US) |
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Article number | 047802 |
Journal | Physical review letters |
Volume | 104 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 29 2010 |