Chain arrangement of hydrophobically modified thermo-responsive block-polymers in interaction with oil-in-water microemulsion droplets

Materials with controlled response on external stimuli are very attractive for research and applications. Accordingly, hydrophobically modified (HM) thermo-responsive (TR) block-polymers are of special interest. Previously, HM telechelic multiarm polymers were investigated in mixtures with oil-in-water (O/W) microemulsions (MEs) in respect to the network formation and rheologic properties. The hydrophobic domains interact with the hydrophobic core of the MEs and form interconnected networks where the ME droplets act as knots and the polymer as interconnections. With an added TR block, the interaction between ME and HMTR block-polymer should change according to the mesoscopic phase separation of the polymer. The aim of this proposal is to investigate the arrangement of the hydrophobic end-caps of polymer chains interacting with ME droplets, thereby yielding TR polymer modified MEs.