Chiraphon Chaibundit, Proespichaya Kanatharana, and Colin Booth

pp. 783 - 790

Abstract

Block copolymer E₆₄B₂₀E₆₄, where E denotes oxyethylene, OCH₂CH₂, B denotes oxybutylene, OCH₂CH
(C₂H₅), and the subscripts denote number-average block lengths in repeat units, was synthesized by sequential anionic polymerization. Characterization was by gel permeation chromatography (for molar mass distribution) and ¹³C-NMR spectroscopy (for absolute molar mass and conformation of block architecture).
Dynamic and static light scattering were used to study micellization and micelle properties of this copolymer
in dilute aqueous solution and in the presence of naphthalene. Dynamic light scattering was used to analyze
hydrodynamic radius, r_h and hydrodynamic expansion factor, δ_h. Static light scattering was used to study
micelle association number, N_w, thermodynamic expansion factor, δ_t, and thermodynamic radius, r_t. The
presence of naphthalene in micellar core increased N_w by 50% and increased micellar size.