Micellization dynamics of poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide)-poly(ethylene oxide) block copolymers measured by stopped flow

Abstract

The micellization dynamics of Pluronic L64 in aqueous NaCl solutions was investigated by employing the stopped-flow (SF) technique. With salt-jump experiments (i.e. fast increase of NaCl concentration) it was possible to study the aggregation dynamics for solutions that initially contained only unimers, since the addition of NaCl induces micellization. Using the capability of SF to observe reversible as well as irreversible reactions a wider range of solutions that contain micelles with different structures could be investigated than are accessible by relaxation techniques such as the iodine laser temperature-jump technique. © Springer-Verlag 1999.