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Oil-in-Water Emulsion Templated and Crystallization-Driven Self-Assembly Formation of Poly(l-lactide)-Polyoxyethylene-Poly(l-lactide) Fibers.
- Source :
-
Langmuir . 11/14/2017, Vol. 33 Issue 45, p13060-13067. 8p. - Publication Year :
- 2017
-
Abstract
- A molecular solution of an amphiphilic block copolymer may act as an oil phase by dispersing into an aqueous micellar system of small-molecular surfactant, forming oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion droplets. In this paper, an as-synthesized triblock copolymer poly(l-lactide)-polyoxyethylene-poly(l-lactide) (PLLA-PEO-PLLA) was dissolved in tetrahydrofuran (THF) and then added to an aqueous micellar solution of nonaethylene glycol monododecyl ether (AEO-9), forming initially coalescent O/W emulsion droplets in the size range of 35 nm-1.3 µm. Along with gradual volatilization of THF and simultaneous concentration of PLLA-PEO-PLLA molecules, the amphiphilic copolymer backbones themselves experience solution-based self-assembly, forming inverted core-corona aggregates within an oil-phase domain. Anisotropic coalescence of adjacent O/W emulsion droplets occurs, accompanied by further volatilization of THF. The hydrophilic block crystallization of core-forming PEOs and the hydrophobic chain stretch of corona-forming PLLAs together induce the intermediate formation of rod-like architectures with an average diameter of 300-800 nm, and this leads to a large-scale deposition of the triblock copolymer fibers with an average diameter of ~2.0 µm. Consequently, this strategy could be of general interest in the self-assembly formation of amphiphilic block copolymer fibers and could also provide access to aqueous solution crystallization of hydrophilic segments of these copolymers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Subjects :
- *AMPHIPHILES
*BLOCK copolymers
*POLYLACTIC acid
*ANISOTROPY
*MOLECULAR self-assembly
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 07437463
- Volume :
- 33
- Issue :
- 45
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Langmuir
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 126335295
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.langmuir.7b02596