Session G28: Focus Session: Microphysical Properties of Block Copolymer Aggregates I

8:00 AM–11:00 AM, Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Baltimore Convention Center - 325

Sponsoring Unit: DPOLY
Chair: Erik Hobbie, National Institute of Standards and Technology

Abstract ID: BAPS.2006.MAR.G28.10

Abstract: G28.00010 : Chain Exchange Kinetics in Diblock Copolymer Micelles: Comparison of Experimental and Simulation Results

10:36 AM–10:48 AM

Preview Abstract

Authors:

  Elena Dormidontova
  Chun-Chung Chen
    (Department of Macromolecular Science and Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, USA)

  Reidar Lund
  Lutz Willner
  Dieter Richter
    (Institut fuer Festkoerperforschung, Forschungszentrum Juelich, Germany)

The exchange of chains between polymeric micelles in equilibrium has been studied experimentally using a novel Time Resolved Small Angle Neutron Scattering technique and modeled using Monte Carlo (MC) simulations. The experiments for PS-PB in alkanes and PEP-PEO micelles in DMF/water solutions revealed a logarithmic time dependence of the exchange kinetics. In the simulations, the time dependence of surviving chains ranges from a single exponential to stretched exponential behavior and is found to be strongly influenced by the chain conformation and escape criteria. In agreement with the experiments, a logarithmic time dependence was found in the MC simulations for an intermediate time range for micelles with a large number of escapable chains from micelle core and low probability of escaping or for micelles with a broader core-corona interface. The MC results suggest that dynamics of conformational rearrangements in a micelle core plays a decisive role in the micelle exchange kinetics.

To cite this abstract, use the following reference: http://meetings.aps.org/link/BAPS.2006.MAR.G28.10