• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
• /
• v.27 no.4
• /
• pp.545-551
• /
• 2010

Hydrophobically monoendcapped poly(sodium acrylate)s formed hydrophobic microdomains in water. This was concluded on poly(sodium acrylate)s with a linear $C_{12}$-alkyl chain attached specifically at the end of the polymer. There was no well defined CMC (critical micelle concentration), but rather a gradual transition from a micelle free solution to a micelle solution. Steady state fluorescence spectroscopy indicates that the micro domains are rather hydrophobic. At pH 5 in the abscence of salt and at pH 9 in the prescence of 1 M sodium citrate the CAC (critical aggregation concentration) was in the range of 0.1 to 2.4 mM. However at pH 5 there was a linear increase in the transition concentration with a head-group size due to an increase in steric and electrostatic repulsions between polymer main chains. At pH 9 in the abscence of salt the transition concentration was in the range of 1 to 80 mM. For the larger polymers there was a effect which consisted of a concentration gradient of sodium counterion toward the hydrophobic domain. The effect was larger for the larger polymers because of the higher total sodium concentration and the less steep counterion concentration gradient.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
• /
• v.26 no.4
• /
• pp.523-528
• /
• 2005

Diblock copolymers with different poly($\varepsilon$-caprolactone) (PCL) block lengths were synthesized by ringopening polymerization of $\varepsilon$-caprolactone in the presence of monomethoxy poly(ethylene glycol) (mPEG-OH, MW 2000) as initiator. The self-aggregation behaviors of the diblock copolymer nanoparticle, prepared by the diafiltration method, were investigated by using $^1H$ NMR, dynamic light scattering (DLS), and fluorescence spectroscopy. The PEG-PCL block copolymers formed the nano-sized self-aggregate in an aqueous environment by intrsa- and/or intermolecular association between hydrophobic PCL chains. The critical aggregation concentrations (cac) of the block copolymer self-aggregate became lower with increasing hydrophobic PCL block length. On the other hand, reverse trends of mean hydrodynamic diameters were measured by DLS owing to the increasing bulkiness of the hydrophobic chains and hydrophobic interaction between the PCL microdomains. The hydrodynamic diameters of the block copolymer nanoparticles, measured by DLS, were in the range of 65-270 nm. Furthermore, the size of the nanoparticles was scarcely affected by the concentration of the block copolymers in the range of 0.125-5 mg/mL owing to the negligible interparticular aggregation between the self-aggregated nanoparticles. Considered with the fairly low cac and nanoparticle stability, the PEG-PCL nanoparticles can be considered a potential candidate for biomedical applications such as drug carrier or imaging agent.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
• /
• v.51 no.5
• /
• pp.542-548
• /
• 2018

We investigated the effects of Na-alginates's average molecular weight (AMW), their concentrations and divalent metal ions on hydrophobic interaction of solution of Na-alginates in sea tangle produced Saccharina japonicus in East Coast of Korea. As the AMWs of Na-alginates decreased, the formations rates of hydrophobic micro domains and pre-micelles between intermoleculars of Na-alginates were increased. The pre-micelles between Na-alginates chains fully were formed when their concentrations reached 0.2%. In the effects of $Ca^{{+}{+}}$ and $Mg^{{+}{+}}$ on the hydrophobicity of Na-alginates solution, when the AMWs of Na-alginates were increased, the formation rates of hydrophobic micro domains produced by $Ca^{{+}{+}}$ and $Mg^{{+}{+}}$ in alginates chains were increased. When $Ca^{{+}{+}}$ and $Mg^{{+}{+}}$ concentrations that were needed to form gels of alginates solutions were insufficient, the formations of pre-micelle in alginates having large AMW were more incomplete than those of small AMW. In the increasing range from 0.01 to 0.1 mM in divalent metal ion concentration, the formation rate of pre-micelle in alginates solution added $Ca^{{+}{+}}$ were more faster than that of $Mg^{{+}{+}}$.