Amphiphilic diblock copolymers have the capability to self-assembly in aqueous media and produce special nanostructured objects; the so-called polymeric micelles above very low (μM concentration scale) critical micelle concentration cmc. Due to their peculiar core-corona structure and very low cmc, and hence higher thermodynamic stability in the sinking conditions, polymeric micelles proved to efficiently encapsulate hydrophobic molecules (e.g. hydrophobic anticancer drugs) in the core of micelles. In this study, we present experimental proves for theoretical prediction of the compatibility between hydrophobic molecules (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; PAHs) and the core-forming blocks of diblock copolymers over wide temperature range (from 15 °C to 50 °C). For pairs of various PAHs and different core-forming blocks, the calculations of Hoy solubility parameters and then Flory-Huggins interaction parameters (<i>χ</i>) show that polyethylene oxide – b – polymethylmethacrylate (PEO-PMMA) can efficiently encapsulate mixture of PAHs. These theoretical results are in good agreement with the experimental data when another diblock copolymer (Poloxamer 407) is compared to PEO-PMMA. These findings highlight the importance of prior selections of an appropriate block copolymer that show maximal encapsulation efficiency toward highly toxic hydrophobic molecules such as PAHs.<br/>

Encapsulation of polyaromatic hydrocarbons in diblock copolymer micelles: Theoretical and experimental study

254th National Meeting (2017)

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