Dual transitions of toothbrush-like double hydrophilic block copolymers†
Abstract
An interesting thermo-regulated dual transition from unimers to vesicles, and finally to micelles, was reported for the first time, based on a toothbrush-like double hydrophilic block copolymer (DHBC), poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-b-poly(oligo(ethylene glycol) monomethyl ether methacrylate) (P(NIPAAm)-b-P(OEGMA)), which was feasibly attributed to the presence of pendent oligo(ethylene glycol) (OEG) brushes and their entanglement with the stimuli-responsive block.