Core–Shell Structure and Aggregation Number of Micelles Composed of Amphiphilic Block Copolymers and Amphiphilic Heterografted Polymer Brushes Determined by Small-Angle X-ray Scattering
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60607, United States
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, United States
- Department of Biological Sciences, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, Illinois 60616, United States
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60607, United States; Department of Biopharmaceutical Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60612, United States
A large group of functional nanomaterials employed in biomedical applications, including targeted drug delivery, relies on amphiphilic polymers to encapsulate therapeutic payloads via self-assembly processes. Knowledge of the micelle structures will provide critical insights into design of polymeric drug delivery systems. Core–shell micelles composed of linear diblock copolymers poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(caprolactone) (PEG-b-PCL), poly(ethylene oxide)-b-poly(lactic acid) (PEG-b-PLA), as well as a heterografted brush consisting of a poly(glycidyl methacrylate) backbone with PEG and PLA branches (PGMA-g-PEG/PLA) were characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) measurements to gain structural information regarding the particle morphology, core–shell size, and aggregation number. The structural information at this quasi-equilibrium state can also be used as a reference when studying the kinetics of polymer micellization.
- Research Organization:
- Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Advanced Photon Source (APS)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- National Science Foundation (NSF)
- OSTI ID:
- 1409092
- Journal Information:
- ACS Macro Letters, Vol. 6, Issue 9; ISSN 2161-1653
- Publisher:
- American Chemical Society (ACS)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- ENGLISH
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