Novel amphiphilic branched copolymers based on polystyrene and poly(ethylene oxide)

Newly designed polystyrene (PS)/poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) branched copolymers were obtained by a sequence of reactions involving both cationic and anionic polymerizations. Stars made of six PS-b-PEO arms and PS/PEO copolymers constituted of an inner PS part and an arborescent outer layer of PEO are two novel amphiphilic branched architectures that are described in this paper. The investigation of the solution properties of these copolymers by size exclusion chromatography (SEC) using tetrahydrofuran and an aqueous medium revealed that PS/PEO arborescent copolymers are more inclined to self-organize into unimicellar systems than their star homologues.