title: Vesicle-to-micelle transition induced by grafted diblock copolymers.
abstract: We study by small-angle neutron scattering the vesicle-to-micelle transition induced by anchoring diblock copolymers on the surfactant membranes. Vesicles are made using the ternary system SDS (sodium dodecyl sulfate)/octanol/PS-POE (polystyrene-polyoxyethylene), chosen as a model of more complex biological systems. The anchored polymer chains destabilize the membranes and lead to the formation of mixed polymer-surfactant micelles. We show that there is no influence of the polymer mass on the membranes destabilization. We compare this experimental result with recent theoretical predictions concerning the polymer-grafted membranes. We have a good agreement with predictions involving membrane curvature effects, and also with predictions focusing on more local deformations of membranes created by the grafted chains.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire Léon Brillouin (CEA-CNRS), CEN Saclay, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex, France, Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex, France.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schalchli-Plaszczynski
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire Léon Brillouin (CEA-CNRS), CEN Saclay, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex, France, Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex, France.|Université d'Evry Val d'Essonne, 91025 Evry Cedex, France, Evry Cedex, France.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Auvray
keywords: PACS. 87.16.Dg Membranes, bilayers, and vesicles – 83.80.Uv Block copolymers – 61.12.Ex Neutron scattering techniques (including small-angle scattering)