Robertson, Megan L.2018-07-102018-07-10May 20162016-05May 2016http://hdl.handle.net/10657/3202Diblock copolymers are amphiphilic molecules, which spontaneously form micelles in a selective solvent. Through careful selection of polymer composition, solvent, temperature, and pH, the physical characteristics of the micelles can be tuned, providing advantages over low molecular weight surfactants. The self-assembly of micelles in aqueous solvents has great potential in drug delivery and catalyst applications. Understanding how the properties of block copolymer micelles vary in different solvent systems is one step to utilizing the loading capabilities of the micelles in applications. In the present study, two different molecular weight series of diblock copolymers, consisting of a hydrophobic polycaprolactone block and a hydrophilic poly(ethylene oxide) block, were introduced to a solvent mixture of deuterated tetrahydrofuran and deuterated water. The structural properties of the micelles were probed using dynamic light scattering and small angle neutron scattering, as the ratio of THFd8 to D2O in the micelle solutions varied.application/pdfengThe author of this work is the copyright owner. UH Libraries and the Texas Digital Library have their permission to store and provide access to this work. Further transmission, reproduction, or presentation of this work is prohibited except with permission of the author(s).Block copolymersMicellesSANSSmall angle neutron scattering2018-07-10Thesisborn digital