title: Structural observation and kinetic pathway in the formation of polymeric micelles.
abstract: The route by which amphiphilic molecules self-assemble into micelles is still not fully understood. In this Letter, we present direct structural information on the birth and growth of block copolymer micelles by means of synchrotron x-ray scattering with millisecond time resolution. Using a quantitative model, we show that the self-assembly process can be viewed as a nucleation and growth type process where the elemental growth mechanism is an exchange of single molecules.
authors.affiliation: Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC), Paseo Manuel de Lardizabal, 3, 20018 Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain. reidar_lund@ehu.es
authors.forename: Reidar
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lund
authors.forename: Lutz
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Willner
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Monkenbusch
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Panine
authors.forename: Theyencheri
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Narayanan
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Colmenero
authors.forename: Dieter
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Richter