Copolymers sensitive to temperature and pH in water and in water+oil mixtures: A DSC, ITC and volumetric study

Block copolymer micelles are receiving an increasing interest because of the variety of structures and the possibilities to tune them by changing external and internal parameters achieving the desired properties for a specific purpose. We have investigated the acid/base behavior, self-assembling and solubilization ability towards polar oils of star-like copolymers named Tetronics. They are composed of branched four-arms each one consisting of two blocks made of EO and PO units linked to the diethylenediamine group, which confers pH response ability. The copolymers T1107 and T90R4 were studied with a sequential and reverse architecture. The thermodynamics of the acid/base equilibrium was stu…