Shape-changing polymer assemblies

Chemical Society Reviews Pub Date: 2013-06-26 DOI: 10.1039/C3CS60079C

Abstract

A panoply of stimuli-sensitive polymorphic polymer assemblies has been constructed through the intentional synthesis of amphiphilic block copolymers comprising hydrophilic, stimulus-responsive, and hydrophobic blocks. Transformations among canonical micellar forms of polymer assemblies—spherical micelles, wormlike micelles, and vesicles (polymersomes)—have been demonstrated with a number of synthetic systems. This review discusses recent progress in the development and understanding of these systems with a focus on open questions about kinetics of shape change, effects of block copolymer architecture on the rate and nature of the transformation, and potential applications.

Graphical abstract: Shape-changing polymer assemblies
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