Poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PEG-b-PNIPAM) block copolymers were synthesized by atom transfer radical polymerization, and the a-cyclodextrin (a-CD) induced self-assembly characteristics of the system were elucidated. Below the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of PNIPAM, CD threaded onto the PEG segments and induced micellization to form rod-shaped nanostructures comprising of a PEG/a-CD condensed phase and a PNIPAM shell. Increasing the temperature of system above the LCST caused the PNIPAM segments to collapse, which resulted in the dethreading of the CD. (c) 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013