1. Amphiphilic Multiblock Copolymers: From Intramolecular Pearl Necklace to Layered Structures
- Author
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Max Kolb, Virginie Hugouvieux, Monique A.V. Axelos, Unité de recherche sur les Biopolymères, Interactions Assemblages (BIA), Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), and École normale supérieure - Cachan (ENS Cachan)
- Subjects
Materials science ,Polymers and Plastics ,Monte Carlo method ,STRUCTURE INTRAMOLECULAIRE ,02 engineering and technology ,MODELE RETICULAIRE ,010402 general chemistry ,01 natural sciences ,Micelle ,Inorganic Chemistry ,SEQUENCE HYDROPHOBE ,MONTE CARLO SIMULATION ,AMPHIPHILIC COPOLYMER ,Amphiphile ,Polymer chemistry ,[SDV.IDA]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Food engineering ,Materials Chemistry ,Copolymer ,[SPI.GPROC]Engineering Sciences [physics]/Chemical and Process Engineering ,MULTIBLOCK COPOLYMER ,Physics::Chemical Physics ,Phase diagram ,SEQUENCE HYDROPHILE ,Lattice model (finance) ,Quantitative Biology::Biomolecules ,Organic Chemistry ,COPOLYMERE AMPHIPHILE ,021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology ,0104 chemical sciences ,Solvent ,Condensed Matter::Soft Condensed Matter ,Chemical physics ,Intramolecular force ,COPOLYMERE MULTISEQUENCE ,0210 nano-technology - Abstract
International audience; We report on three-dimensional Monte Carlo simulations of dilute solutions of multiblock copolymers made of regularly spaced hydrophobic and hydrophilic blocks in the limit of long chains with a large number of blocks. Using a lattice model we investigate the effects of the ratio of hydrophobic to hydrophilic block lengths and impact of the quality of the solvent on the intramolecular structure of the copolymers. In poor solvent and for given block lengths the simulations show evidence for the existence of different kinds of intramolecular self-assemblies depending on solvent quality: Micelles, chains of micelles, tubes, and layered structures are revealed by both statistical properties and visualization. The form factor signature of the different structures has been identified and is discussed in connection with its experimental observability. The existence region of the different conformations in terms of energy and entropy is summarized in a phase diagram.
- Published
- 2009
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