Structural observation and kinetic pathway in the formation of polymeric micelles.
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.
Lund
Reidar
R
Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC), Paseo Manuel de Lardizabal, 3, 20018 Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain. reidar_lund@ehu.es
Willner
Lutz
L
Monkenbusch
Michael
M
Panine
Pierre
P
Narayanan
Theyencheri
T
Colmenero
Juan
J
Richter
Dieter
D