Non-covalently connected micelles (NCCMs): the origins and development of a new concept

Nearly ten years ago, we suggested a new concept of non-covalently connected micelles (NCCMs) to describe and name a novel family of polymeric micelles. In NCCMs the components that form the core and shell are connected by hydrogen bonding instead of the normal covalent bonding that exists in all micelles formed from block copolymers. Investigations by us, as well as by others, in recent years have shown that the concept of NCCMs, and the methodology to attain them, are in fact much broader than our original suggestion.