| 초록 |
In this study, we present the first experimental observation of E-field triggered sphere-to-cylinder transition of highly charged micelles having hydrophobic core and anionic coronas. The system investigated is ionic-neutral block copolymers in methanol solutions where shell of micelles is negatively charged and spherical micelles are the favored morphology. In the presence of electrostatic repulsion between like-charged micelles, nondensely packed corona is formed and therefore, when DC electric field is applied to the solutions, micelles experience induced charge electro-osmotic flow occurs around them. This induces capillary attraction so that adjacent spherical micelles merge to form cylindrical micelles. We have carried out in-situ SAXS experiments equipped with DC power supply, combined with TEM and AFM, in an attempt to understand how the external electric field affect the morphology of charged micelles having strong ionic segments. |
