Engineering emulsions from thermoresponsive branched copolymer surfactants: Influence of the copolymer composition on thermoresponse

Thermothickening materials that harden when warmed, for example by the body, have application in therapeutics, tissue engineering and emerging fields such as soft robotics. We have recently demonstrated that emulsions stabilised by branched copolymer surfactants (BCSs) undergo thermothickening, combining this responsive behaviour with the ability to solubilise high quantities of drug or other active molecules. It is hypothesised that thermothickening is a hierarchical process involving changes to the nanostructure of the BCSs, triggering assembly of the emulsion droplets into a percolating network. The objectives of this work are to probe this mechanism using SANS at a range of temperatures, varying the BCS chemistry and concentration, to test this hypothesis. This data will be coupled to existing rheology data to inform rational design of high-performance thermothickening emulsions.