Effect of micellization on the thermoresponsive behavior of polymeric assemblies

The chain density of polymer micelles, dictated by their aggregation number (N_agg), is an often overlooked parameter that governs the macroscopic behavior of responsive assemblies. Using a combination of variable-temperature light scattering, turbidimetry, and microcalorimetry experiments, the cloud point and thermal collapse of micellar poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (pNIPAM) corona chains at lower temperatures than the cloud point were found to be largely independent of the micelle’s N_agg. By controlling the core composition, the degree of hysteresis associated with the thermal transition was found to increase as a function of core hydrophobicity. We performed this study on well-characterized micelles with tunable N_agg values, composed of a thermoresponsive corona (pNIPAM) and a nonresponsive core block poly(n-butyl acrylate-co-N,N-dimethylacrylamide) (p(nBA-co-DMA)), which were synthesized using reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. This allowed for a distinction to be made between thermoresponsive behavior at both the molecular and macroscopic level. The study of the subtle differences between these behaviors was made possible using a combination of complementary techniques. These results highlight the critical need for consideration of the effect that self-assembly plays on the responsive behavior of polymer chains when compared with free unimers in solution.