Macromolecules, Vol.53, No.12, 4783-4795, 2020
Self-assembly in Solutions of Amphiphilic Homopolymers: Computer Modeling and Analytical Theory
The main feature of amphiphilic homopolymers is the effective surface activity of their monomer units, due to which, in selective solvent, they can aggregate into various structures, some of which resemble those formed by low-molecular surfactants and are prospective in many practical applications. The paper aims to address dilute solutions of amphiphilic homopolymers and to reveal the features of their self-assembly depending on the solvent selectivity and the relative solvent quality for solvophobic and solvophilic groups of monomer units. The calculations, performed in the framework of dissipative particle dynamics (DPD), allowed us to find various morphological aggregates, to analyze details of their structure, and to determine the field of their stability. The results are presented in the form of a diagram and described in the framework of original analytical theory.