Well-defined and stable nanomicelles self-assembled from brush cyclic and tadpole copolymer amphiphiles: a versatile smart carrier platform

Abstract

This study reports the first well-defined and stable nanomicelles (20 - 30 nm in diameter) self-assembled from amphiphilic brush (comb-like) cyclic and tadpole-shaped copolymers composed of hydrophobic n-decyl and hydrophilic 2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy) ethyl bristle blocks based on a poly(glycidyl ether) backbone. The micelle formation behaviour and structural details were investigated by synchrotron X-ray scattering analysis in a rigorous and complementary manner. The amphiphilic brush cyclic topology facilitates more compact and stable aggregation behaviour in the micelle core and a more densely packed corona, which prevents intermicellar aggregation. The presence of a hydrophobic component with brush cyclic topology inside the core is identified as the primary micelle stabilizing factor, enabling stable core aggregation and sharper core-corona interface formation. The presence of a hydrophilic brush cyclic component in the corona is determined as the secondary micelle stabilizing factor, helping nullify the corona penetration by polymer chains from other micelles and ultimately prevent the intermicellar aggregation-mediated collapse of the micellar structure. Overall, the brush cyclic topology was confirmed to be beneficial for forming highly stable nanomicelles with an extremely narrow (pseudo-monodisperse) size distribution compared with conventional linear topology and tadpole topologies. All the results of this study provide a unique opportunity for designing advanced functional high-performance amphiphilic materials for nanomicelles that are unattainable by other conventional methods and broadening their applications in various fields, including drug delivery, biomedical imaging, foods, cosmetics, smart coatings, photonics and molecular electronics.