Interfacial activity of patchy worm-like micelles

Abstract

The interfacial activity of self-assembled worm-like crystalline-core micelles (wCCMs) with a patchy polystyrene/poly(methyl methacrylate) (PS/PMMA) corona and a semi-crystalline polyethylene (PE) core is studied at the toluene–water interface. Strikingly, the interfacial activity is comparable to that of Janus cylinders with well-separated PS/PMMA hemishells and comparable length. From this finding an adaptation of the corona chains of the patchy wCCMs to the toluene–water interface is proposed.