Controlling pH Responsive Polymersome Assembly

Vesicles are formed when a membrane curves to produce a spherical structure, which in turn entraps an aqueous volume within its lumen. When these structures are formed using a polymers, a polymeric vesicle or “Polymersome” is formed. The biomimetic nature of these assemblies has attracted much attention in the field of biomedicine over the last decade, especially with regards to therapeutic or diagnostic molecule delivery. Many physical and chemical properties dictate the efficacy of a delivery system, one such parameter is size. In this study we propose a simple method of controlling polymersome size by varying the formation temperature. Dynamic light scattering data shows a strong trend of decreasing average particle size with increasing temperature. Transmission electron microscope images support this observation and show several non-ergonomic structures at lower temperatures.