Engineering single-polymer micelle shape using non-uniform spontaneous surface curvature

TL;DR

This paper presents a design method for creating polymeric micelles with diverse shapes by manipulating the segment lengths of a single block copolymer, demonstrated through simulations of stable horseshoe-shaped micelles.

Contribution

It introduces a novel approach to engineer micelle shapes using a single polymer with adjustable segments, expanding beyond conventional morphologies.

Findings

Stable horseshoe-shaped micelles achieved in simulations.

Shape changes are smoothly controlled by segment length adjustments.

The design scheme is effective for creating diverse micelle geometries.

Abstract

Conventional micelles, composed of simple amphiphiles, exhibit only a few standard morphologies, each characterized by its mean surface curvature set by the amphiphiles. Here we demonstrate a rational design scheme to construct micelles of more general shape from polymeric amphiphiles. We replace the many amphiphiles of a conventional micelle by a single flexible, linear, block copolymer chain containing two incompatible species arranged in multiple alternating segments. With suitable segment lengths, the chain exhibits a condensed spherical configuration in solution, similar to conventional micelles. Our design scheme posits that further shapes are attained by altering the segment lengths. To assess the power of this scheme, we exhibit stable micelles of horseshoe form using conventional bead-spring simulations in two dimensions. Modest changes in the segment lengths produce smooth changes in the micelle's shape and stability.