Effect of chain topology of block copolymer on micellization: Ring versus linear block copolymer

Micellization of ring block copolymer and triblock copolymer in a solvent selective for A-block is investigated by using a mean-field theory and a Brownian dynamics simulation. Theoretically, our findings show that the cmc (critical micelle concentration) of ring block copolymer is lower than that of the triblock copolymer but much higher than that of diblock copolymer. The theoretical prediction qualitatively agrees with the simulation results. This difference of cmc is originated from the difference in architectural constraint imposed to reduce the conformational freedom of copolymer in the micellar state.