This article deals with recent progress including the author’s work in the field of block copolymer self-assembly in solution and on solid surfaces. The synthesis methods for producing block copolymers with well-defined structures, molecular weights and composition are outlined with emphasis on ionic and controlled free radical polymerization techniques. A general overview of the preparation, c...

Micellar solutions of polystyrene-block-polybutadiene and polystyrene-block-polyisoprene in propane are found to exhibit significantly lower cloud pressures than the corresponding hypothetical nonmicellar solutions. Such a cloud-pressure reduction indicates the extent to which micelle formation enhances the apparent diblock solubility in near-critical and hence compressible propane. Concentrati...

Surfactant micellization and micellar solubilization in aqueous solution can be modeled using a molecular-thermodynamic (MT) theoretical approach; however, the implementation of MT theory requires an accurate identification of the portions of solutes (surfactants and solubilizates) that are hydrated and unhydrated in the micellar state. For simple solutes, such identification is comparatively s...

A novel membrane contactor method was used to produce size-controlled poly(ethylene glycol)-b-polycaprolactone (PEG-PCL) copolymer micelles composed of diblock copolymers with different average molecular weights, Mn (9200 or 10,400 Da) and hydrophilic fractions, f (0.67 or 0.59). By injecting 570 L m(-2) h(-1) of the organic phase (a 1 mg mL(-1) solution of PEG-PCL in tetrahydrofuran) through a...

The zwitterionic detergent 3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)-dimethylammonium]-1-propanesulfonate (CHAPS), derivative of naturally occurring bile salts, is widely used in biochemistry for membrane protein and receptor solubilization and purification. Since the efficiency of protein stabilization is known to be highly related to the detergent concentration, it is very important for the researcher to predic...

Poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide)-poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO-PPO-PEO) block copolymers (commercially available as Pluronics or Poloxamers) can self-assemble into various nanostructures in water and its mixtures with polar organic solvents. Ethylammonium nitrate (EAN) is a well-known protic ionic liquid that is expected to affect amphiphile self-assembly due to its ionic nature and hydro...

In this study, temperature and pH responsive cationic and amphiphilic pentablock copolymers, which consist of the temperature responsive triblock Pluronic F127 sandwiched between pH responsive PDEAEM (poly(2-diethylaminoethyl methacrylate)) end blocks, were used for the first time in the development of polyplex and gold nanoparticle (AuNP) based multicomponent siRNA delivery systems (MCSs). Cop...

Polymeric micelles supply an environment, which can be cautiously regulated for drug delivery. The self-assembly of polymeric micellization is dynamic. Micellization thermodynamic describes how the system defines formation micelles. present study enables behavior surfactants in presence polymer to examined by conductometric and tensiometric methods. effects concentration temperature on thermody...

An investigation of the behavior of protoporphyrin IX, deuteroporphyrin IX, haematoporphyrin IX and coproporphyrin III in aqueous solution revealed extensive and complex aggregation processes. Protoporphyrin appears to be highly aggregated under all conditions studied. At concentrations below 4 muM, aggregation of deutero-, haemato- and coproporphyrin is probably restricted to dimerization. At ...