Pathways of micelle collapse and swelling of PMMA-b-PNIPAM diblock copolymers in aqueous solution triggered by a rapid change of pressure

We aim to investigate (i) the micellar collapse of PMMA-b-PNIPAM diblock copolymers in aqueous solution after crossing rapidly the co-existence line by varying the pressure from the one-phase to the two-phase region and (ii) the swelling of the collapsed micelles by crossing the co-existence in the opposite direction. In each protocol, the target pressure will be varied to study the effect of the pressure jump length on the rate of the phase transition. These two processes (micellar collapse and swelling) will be studied on both sides of the maximum of the co-existence line, i.e., under weak and strong dehydration of the micellar shell. Time-resolved SAXS after a rapid change of pressure will provide information about the early stages of the phase transition and complement our SANS data.