Unimolecular Micelles (unimolecular + micelle)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Unimolecular micelle derived from hyperbranched polyethylenimine with well-defined hybrid shell of poly(ethylene oxide) and polystyrene: A versatile nanocapsule

JOURNAL OF POLYMER SCIENCE (IN TWO SECTIONS), Issue 3 2010
Yong Liang
Abstract The synthesis and properties of a macromolecular nanocapsule derived from hyperbranched polyethylenimine (HPEI) with well-defined hybrid shell of poly(ethylene oxide) monomethyl ether (mPEO) and polystyrene (PS) are described. HPEI is treated in sequence with 4-glycidol-2,2,6,6-tetrametyl-piperidin-1-oxyl, succinic anhydride, mPEO, leading to a HPEI derivative compatible with nitroxide-mediated living radical polymerization of styrene, thus a macromolecular nanocapsule, HPEI@PEO/PS, is available with a well-defined and tunable hybrid shell of PEO and PS. Within certain PEO/PS ratio, the nanocapsule is soluble in a number of organic solvents as well as in water. The nanocapsule exists as three layer onion-like particle (HPEI@PS@PEO) in water, whereas in chloroform it exists as a hybrid shell particle (HPEI@PEO/PS), and the particles generally exist in the form of unimolecular micelle. In a biphasic water/chloroform mixture, the nanocapsule can transfer anionic, water-soluble guest from an aqueous phase to the chloroform phase; while when dissolved in water, the nanocapsule can efficiently capture both ionic and apolar solutes. Release of the guest can occur under the stimulus of pH or the switch of medium. This is the first example of a unimolecular micelle that can simultaneously deliver both polar and apolar guests. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 681,691, 2010 [source]


Synthesis and supramolecular self-assembly of thermosensitive amphiphilic star copolymers based on a hyperbranched polyether core

JOURNAL OF POLYMER SCIENCE (IN TWO SECTIONS), Issue 2 2008
Haiyan Hong
Abstract A novel amphiphilic thermosensitive star copolymer with a hydrophobic hyperbranched poly (3-ethyl-3-(hydroxymethyl)oxetane) (HBPO) core and many hydrophilic poly(2-(dimethylamino) ethyl methacrylate) (PDMAEMA) arms was synthesized and used as the precursor for the aqueous solution self-assembly. All the copolymers directly aggregated into core,shell unimolecular micelles (around 10 nm) and size-controllable large multimolecular micelles (around 100 nm) in water at room temperature, according to pyrene probe fluorescence spectrometry and 1H NMR, TEM, and DLS measurements. The star copolymers also underwent sharp, thermosensitive phase transitions at a lower critical solution temperature (LCST), which were proved to be originated from the secondary aggregation of the large micelles driven by increasing hydrophobic interaction due to the dehydration of PDMAEMA shells on heating. A quantitative variable temperature NMR analysis method was designed by using potassium hydrogen phthalate as an external standard and displayed great potential to evaluate the LCST transition at the molecular level. The drug loading and temperature-dependent release properties of HBPO- star -PDMAEMA micelles were also investigated by using indomethacin as a model drug. The indomethacin-loaded micelles displayed a rapid drug release at a temperature around LCST. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 668,681, 2008 [source]


Amphiphilic PEG/alkyl-grafted comb polylactides

JOURNAL OF POLYMER SCIENCE (IN TWO SECTIONS), Issue 22 2007
Xuwei Jiang
Abstract Amphiphilic polylactides (PLAs) with well-defined architectures were synthesized by ring-opening polymerization of AB monomers (glycolides) substituted with both a long chain alkyl group and a triethylene glycol segment terminated in either a methyl or benzyl group. The resulting amphiphilic PLAs had number average molecular weights >100,000 g/mol. DSC analysis revealed a first-order phase transition at , 20 °C, reflecting the crystalline nature of the linear alkyl side chains. Polymeric micelles were prepared by the solvent displacement method in water. Dynamic light scattering measurements support formation of a mixture of 20-nm-diameter unimolecular micelles and 60-nm particles comprised of an estimated 25 polymer molecules. UV,vis characterization of micelles formed from acetone,water solutions containing azobenzene confirmed encapsulation of the hydrophobic dye, suggesting their potential as new amphiphilic PLAs as drug delivery vehicles. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 5227,5236, 2007 [source]


pH-Switchable Complexation between Double Hydrophilic Heteroarm Star Copolymers and a Cationic Block Polyelectrolyte

MACROMOLECULAR CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS, Issue 7 2008
Zhishen Ge
Abstract Double hydrophilic heteroarm star copolymers of poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA) and poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) were synthesized via atom-transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) using the "in-out" method. The synthesis consisted of three steps. Namely, ATRP was applied to the preparation of a star macroinitiator with PEO arms and a cross-linked core resulting from the polymerization of divinylbenzene (DVB) in the first step, chain extension with tert -butyl methacrylate (tBMA) under ATRP conditions, and subsequent hydrolysis of the tert -butyl groups afforded (PEO)n -PDVB-(PMAA)n heteroarm star copolymers with a cross-linked microgel core. This novel type of double hydrophilic heteroarm star copolymer can be considered as unimolecular micelles with hybrid coronas. The star copolymers exhibited pH-dependent solubility in water, being soluble at high pH and insoluble at low pH, due to the formation of hydrogen-bonded complexes between the PEO and PMAA arms. A mixed solution of the heteroarm star copolymer and a PEO- b -PQDMA diblock copolymer, where PQDMA is poly(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate) fully quaternized with methyl iodide, remained stable in the whole pH range, and exhibited an intriguing pH-switchable complexation behavior accompanied with structural rearrangement. [source]


Transport of Guest Molecules by Unimolecular Micelles Evidenced in Analytical Ultracentrifugation Experiments

MACROMOLECULAR RAPID COMMUNICATIONS, Issue 13 2007
Mircea Rasa
Abstract The ability of star-shaped, block copolymer-based unimolecular micelles to encapsulate and transport guest molecules was studied. Analytical ultracentrifugation studies clearly showed that methyl-orange guest molecules could be encapsulated and transported, together with unimolecular micelles consisting of 5-arm, star-shaped block copolymers with a poly(ethylene glycol) core and a poly(, -caprolactone) corona. Sedimentation-velocity and equilibrium measurements were performed to determine the sedimentation coefficients, molar masses, and diffusion coefficients of the loaded, unimolecular micelles. It was observed that the transport of guest molecules by unimolecular micelles was a function of the molecular weight of the star-shaped block copolymers and therefore also of their size. [source]


Self-Assembly of Large Multimolecular Micelles from Hyperbranched Star Copolymers

MACROMOLECULAR RAPID COMMUNICATIONS, Issue 5 2007
Haiyan Hong
Abstract This work focused on the synthesis and aqueous self-assembly of a series of novel hyperbranched star copolymers with a hyperbranched poly[3-ethyl-3-(hydroxymethyl)oxetane] (HBPO) core and many linear poly[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate] (PDMAEMA) arms. The copolymers can synchronously form unimolecular micelles (around 10 nm) and large multimolecular micelles (around 100 nm) in water at room temperature. TEM measurements have provided direct evidence that the large micelles are a kind of multimicelle aggregates (MMAs) with the basic building units of unimolecular micelles. It is the first demonstration of the self-assembly mechanism for the large multimolecular micelles generated from the solution self-assembly of hyperbranched copolymers. [source]