2012/01/01 by Sabine Rosenfeldt, S. Rosenfeldt, Frank Lüdel +13
Chemistry · Materials Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Advanced Polymer Synthesis and Characterization #Aqueous solution #Chemical engineering #Chemical physics #Chemistry #Composite material #Copolymer #Corona (planetary geology) #Crystallization #Materials science #Methacrylate #Methyl methacrylate #Micelle #Nanotechnology #Neutron scattering #Optics #Organic chemistry #Physics #Pickering emulsions and particle stabilization #Polymer #Polymer chemistry #Polystyrene #Scattering #Small-angle neutron scattering #Surfactants and Colloidal Systems #Transmission electron microscopy #cond-mat.soft
paper · pdf · doi:10.1039/c2cp41231d
published as Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 14, 12750 (2012)
openalex publication_date 2012/01/01 · arxiv created 2012/09/20 · arxiv updated 2017/08/23 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
Triblock terpolymers exhibit a rich self-organization behavior including the formation of fascinating cylindrical core-shell structures with a phase separated corona. After crystallization-induced self-assembly of polystyrene-block-polyethylene-block-poly(methyl methacrylate) triblock terpolymers (abbreviated as SEMs = Styrene-Ethylene-Methacrylates) from solution, worm-like core-shell micelles with a patchy corona of polystyrene and poly(methyl methacrylate) were observed by transmission electron microscopy. However, the solution structure is still a matter of debate. Here, we present a method to distinguish in situ between a Janus-type (two faced) and a patchy (multiple compartments) configuration of the corona. To discriminate between both models the scattering intensity must be determined mainly by one corona compartment. Contrast variation in small-angle neutron scattering enables us to focus on one compartment of the worm-like micelles. The results validate the existence of the patchy structure also in solution.