Well-defined polyisoprene-b-poly(acrylic acid)/polystyrene-b-polyisoprene- b-poly(acrylic acid) block copolymers: Synthesis and their self-assembled hierarchical structures in aqueous media

The synthesis and characterization of well-defined polyacid based block copolymers containing polyisoprene (PI) are reported. The challenge of maintaining the integrity of the polydiene while producing polyacid from the tert-butyl ester precursor is addressed in this communication. A general purification method was also developed, taking advantage of the different polarities of each block. The polystyrene-b-polyisoprene-b-poly-(acrylic acid) (PS-b-PI-b-PAA) triblock terpolymers form multicompartmental micelles via aqueous self-assembly. Our work reveals the morphological consequences of unique balances among global and local interactions. (Figure presented)