Structure of pH sensitive self-assembled amphiphilic di- and triblock copolyelectrolytes: micelles, aggregates and transient networks
Abstract
We have studied the self-assembly of aqueous dispersions of amphiphilic di- and triblock copolyelectrolytes using static and dynamic light scattering. The hydrophobic blocks contained both ionisable and hydrophobic units rendering the association dynamic and thus ensuring that thermodynamic equilibrium was reached. The incorporation of ionisable units into the hydrophobic blocks caused the self-assembly to be strongly influenced by the pH and the ionic strength. As in the case of neutral