title: Formation of polymer vesicles by liquid crystal amphiphilic block copolymers.
abstract: We report the formation of polymer vesicles (or polymersomes) by a new class of amphiphilic block copolymers in which the hydrophobic block is a side-on nematic liquid crystal polymer. Two series of these block copolymers, named PEG-b-PA444 and PEG-b-PMAazo444, with different hydrophilic/hydrophobic ratios were synthesized and characterized in detail. Polymersomes and nanotubes were formed by adding water into a solution of copolymers in dioxane. Polymersomes in water were finally obtained by dialyzing the resulting mixture against water. These self-assemblies have been studied by classical TEM and cryo-TEM. For the PEG-b-PA444 series, polymersomes were observed for hydrophilic/hydrophobic ratios ranging from 40/60 to 19/81. For PEG-b-PMAazo444 series, polymersomes were observed for hydrophilic/hydrophobic ratios ranging from 26/74 to 18/82. For a PEG-b-PA444 sample with hydrophilic/hydrophobic ratio equal to 25/75, a tubular morphology with tube diameter of typically 100 nm and tube length of up to 10 mum was also observed together with polymersomes during addition of water into the polymer solution in dioxane.
authors.affiliation: Institut Curie, CNRS UMR168, Laboratoire Physico-Chimie Curie, 26 rue d'Ulm, 75248 Paris Cedex 05, France.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Rafael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Piñol
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gubellini
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lévy
authors.forename: Pierre-Antoine
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Albouy
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Keller
authors.forename: Min-Hui
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Li