Hidden structural features of multicompartment micelles revealed by cryogenic transmission electron tomography.

摘要: The demand for ever more complex nanostructures in materials and soft matter nanoscience also requires sophisticated characterization tools reliable visualization interpretation of internal morphological features. Here, we address both aspects present synthetic concepts the compartmentalization nanoparticle peripheries as well their situ tomographic characterization. We first form negatively charged spherical multicompartment micelles from ampholytic triblock terpolymers aqueous media, followed by interpolyelectrolyte (IPEC) formation anionic corona with bis-hydrophilic cationic/neutral diblock copolymers. At a 1:1 stoichiometric ratio cationic charges, so-formed IPECs are charge neutral thus phase separate solution (water). high chain density ionic grafts provides steric stabilization through PEO grafted copolymer suppresses collapse IPEC; instead, dense grafting results d...