pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ma0499775

The adsorption of poly(4-vinyl pyridine) (P4VP) unimers into spherical core−shell micelles self-assembled by polystyrene-block-poly(acrylic acid) (PS200-b-PAA78) in ethanol is studied by a combination of static light scattering (SLS) and dynamic light scattering (DLS). P4VP unimers with a coil size of ca. 7.9 nm can be first absorbed into the PS-b-PAA spherical core−shell micelles with a hydrodynamic diameter of 79.9 nm and then penetrate into the shell of the micelles to form hydrogen-bonded micelle−unimers complexes in ethanol. During the adsorption, the hydrodynamic diameter and gyration radius of the micelle−unimers complexes decrease first and then stay almost unchanged when P4VP solution in ethanol is added into the PS-b-PAA micelle solution. It is also found that the structure of the micelle−unimers complexes remains spherical but becomes smaller and denser than that of the PS-b-PAA micelles after absorption of P4VP unimers.