We present structural analysis of spherical diblock copolymer micelles where core blocks have bottlebrush architecture. The dependence of the core radius (R_core) and the corona thickness (L_corona) on the core block length (N_core) is investigated using small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and discussed in terms of the stiffness of a core-forming polymer posed by its long fluoroalkyl side chains. The conformation of the core block is strongly stretched, and the measured exponents α and β from power-law correlations, R_core ∼ N_core^α and L_corona ∼ N_core^β, respectively, are greater than those from any scaling predictions for block copolymer micelles with a flexible, linear core-block. Such deviations are attributed to the appreciable chain stiffness of the bottlebrush core block, and a simple model is suggested to understand how the core block stiffness influences both the dimensions of core and corona.

中文翻译：

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使用小角 X 射线散射的瓶刷嵌段共聚物胶束的结构分析

我们提出了球形二嵌段共聚物胶束的结构分析，其中核心嵌段具有瓶刷结构。使用小角 X 射线散射 (SAXS)研究了核心半径 ( R _core ) 和电晕厚度 ( L _corona ) 对核心块长度 ( N _core ) 的依赖性，并根据核心的刚度进行了讨论-由其长的氟烷基侧链构成的聚合物。核心块的构象被强烈拉伸，并且从幂律相关性中测量的指数α和β，R_核心~ N_核心^α和L_电晕~ N_核心^β，分别大于任何对具有柔性、线性核心嵌段的嵌段共聚物胶束的缩放预测。这种偏差归因于瓶刷芯块的明显链刚度，并且建议使用简单的模型来了解芯块刚度如何影响芯和电晕的尺寸。