Langmuir, Vol.31, No.51, 13834-13841, 2015
Effect of Topological Structures on the Self-Assembly Behavior of Supramolecular Amphiphiles
Three types of azobenzene-based telechelic guest polymers, PEG-azo, azo-PEG-azo, and PEG-azo(4), were synthesized by a facile method. Subsequently, a series supramolecular amphiphiles with three distinct topological structures (hemitelechelic, ditelechelic, and quadritelechelic) were constructed through coupling with host polymer beta-cyclodextrin-poly(L-lactide) (beta-CD-PLLA) by combined host guest complexation. Research on the self-assembly behavior of these amphiphiles demonstrated that the variation in self-assembly was tuned by the synergistic interaction of hydrophfficity and the curvature of the polymer chains, and very importantly, the topological structure of amphiphiles demonstrated effective control of the self-assembly behavior.