What is self-assembly of block copolymers?
Block copolymer (BCP) self-assembly has attracted considerable attention for many decades because it can yield ordered structures in a wide range of morphologies, including spheres, cylinders, bicontinuous structures, lamellae, vesicles, and many other complex or hierarchical assemblies.
What are block copolymers used for?
Block copolymers have been used for polymer surfactant (see, for example, Section 8.7. 1), high-impact plastics, and other applications. Recently, block copolymers are applied to more advanced materials, such as nano-fabrication and quantum dots.
Which method is most suitable to prepare a block copolymer?
The general method for the preparation of BCPs using the RAFT process is through sequential polymerization.
What are block copolymer micelles?
Block copolymer micelles are generally formed by the self-assembly of either amphiphilic or oppositely charged copolymers in aqueous medium. The hydrophilic and hydrophobic blocks form the corona and the core of the micelles, respectively.
How are block copolymers formed?
Block copolymers are normally prepared by controlled polymerization of one monomer, followed by chain extension with a different monomer(1) to form AB or ABC block copolymers.
How block copolymers are synthesized?
Are micelles nanoparticles?
Micelle nanoparticles range in size from 5 to 100 nm (Oerlemans et al., 2010). Many different polymers can be used to create micelles; however, the selection is limited for drug delivery applications because the micelle must be biocompatible and biodegradable.
What are polymeric nanoparticles?
Polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) are particles within the size range from 1 to 1000 nm and can be loaded with active compounds entrapped within or surface-adsorbed onto the polymeric core. The term “nanoparticle” stands for both nanocapsules and nanospheres, which are distinguished by the morphological structure.