0000000000347347
AUTHOR
Sharon L. Wells
Kinetics of block-copolymer aggregation in super critical CO2
Small angle X-ray and neutron scattering (SAXS and SANS) are used to obtain structural information on the aggregation behavior of block-copolymers dissolved in supercritical CO2. The SANS technique is used to provide a detailed structural model for the micellar aggregates, which form below the critical micellization density (CMD), that we defined in our previous work. The SAXS technique (with a synchrotron source) is used to provide the first experimental information concerning the kinetic features of both formation and decomposition of such aggregates as soon as pressure jumps are applied to the solutions across the CMD. 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Critical Micelle Density for the Self-Assembly of Block Copolymer Surfactants in Supercritical Carbon Dioxide
The parameters which influence the self-assembly of molecules in solution include the temperature and solvent quality, and this study illustrates the use of these variables to regulate the degree of association of block copolymer amphiphiles in highly compressible supercritical carbon dioxide. Small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) has been used to examine the association behavior of a block copolymer containing a CO2-phobic moiety, poly(vinyl acetate), and a CO2-philic block, poly(1,1-dihydroperfluoro-octylacrylate). By adjustment of the density of the medium through pressure and temperature profiling, the self-assembly can be reversibly controlled from unimers to core−shell spherical micel…