Amphiphilic polymer conetworks based on triPEG and tetraPEG end-linked multi-armed star block copolymers

We present the development of amphiphilic polymer conetworks (APCNs) exhibiting long-range ordering and large domain sizes both in the bulk and in an aqueous environment, with a particular sample displaying a record domain size of 67 nm in water, almost 2 times larger than those reported for APCNs to date. These APCNs comprise equally large, end-linked multi-armed amphiphilic ‘core-first’ star block copolymers of molar masses reaching about one million g mol⁻¹, prepared via a four-step sequential reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. The constituting star block copolymers were characterized in terms of their molar mass and composition using gel permeation chromatography and proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, respectively, while the mesoscopic APCN structures in water and in the bulk were explored using small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering. The developed materials may find applications both in the biomedical and technology fields.