Yes / Co-crystallization of polymers with different configurations/tacticities provides access to materials with enhanced performance. The stereocomplexation of isotactic poly(L-lactide) and poly(D-lactide) has led to improved properties compared with each homochiral material. Herein, we report the preparation of stereocomplex micelles from a mixture of poly(L-lactide)-b-poly(acrylic acid) and poly(D-lactide)-b-poly(acrylic acid) diblock copolymers in water via crystallization-driven self-assembly. During the formation of these stereocomplex micelles, an unexpected morphological transition results in the formation of dense crystalline spherical micelles rather than cylinders. Furthermore, mixture of cylinders with opposite homochirality in either THF/H2O mixtures or in pure water at 65 °C leads to disassembly into stereocomplexed spherical micelles. Similarly, a transition is also observed in a related PEO-b-PLLA/PEO-b-PDLA system, demonstrating wider applicability. This new mechanism for morphological reorganization, through competitive crystallization and stereocomplexation and without the requirement for an external stimulus, allows for new opportunities in controlled release and delivery applications. / University of Warwick, Swiss National Science Foundation and the EPSRC. The Royal Society - an Industry Fellowship to A.P.D. The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EP/G004897/1) - funding to support postdoctoral fellowships for A.P.B. as well as funding for J.S. and M.A.D. through the Warwick Centre for Analytical Science (EP/F034210/1). The Science City Research Alliance and the HEFCE Strategic Development Fund - funding support. Some items of equipment that were used in this research were funded by Birmingham Science City, with support from Advantage West Midlands and part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BRADFORD/oai:bradscholars.brad.ac.uk:10454/14151 |
| Date | 17 December 2014 |
| Creators | Sun, L., Pitto-Barry, Anaïs, Kirby, N., Schiller, T.L., Sanchez, A.M., Dyson, M.A., Sloan, J., Wilson, N.R., O'Reilly, R.K., Dove, A.P. |
| Source Sets | Bradford Scholars |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Article, Published version |
| Rights | ©2014 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in the credit line; if the material is not included under the Creative Commons license, users will need to obtain permission from the license holder to reproduce the material. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
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