Swollen vesicles and multiple emulsions from block copolymers

We engineer novel structures by "stuffing" the aliphatic regions of self-assembled aggregates with hydrophobic homopolymer. These "stuffed" vesicles and multiple emulsions are formed in a one-step process when we rehydrate stuffed films made of amphiphilic block copolymer and hydrophobic homopolymer. Without such homopolymer, this system forms micelles. With homopolymer, vesicles form; varying vesicle membrane thicknesses show that these structures incorporate different amounts of homopolymer. Multiple emulsions, containing more homopolymer than stuffed vesicles, are also fabricated using this single-amphiphile system. The system's incorporation of homopolymer to modify the properties and morphology of the resultant structures is a convenient strategy for preparing self-assembled macromolecular structures with controllable properties.