Conformation of an Amphiphilic Comb-like Copolymer in a Selective Solvent

We study the conformation of an amphiphilic comb-like copolymer in a selective solvent by using Brownian dynamics simulations. Our results demonstrate that, there is an optimal total degree of polymerization to form spherical micelles. Only when the total degree of polymerization is less than the optimal total degree of polymerization, a unimolecular spherical micelle can be formed, otherwise, the spherical micelle will be transformed into a cylindrical micelle. When the total degree of polymerization is less than the optimal total degree of polymerization, the radius of gyration and the stretching factor meet an exponential relationship, where the power exponent decreases with the increase of the length of hydrophilic side chains. The fundamental principles uncovered here afford insights for the optimization of molecular design of amphiphilic comb-like copolymers in various applications.