2 F. Benmouna, R. Kaci and M. Benmouna
the degree of ionization and ionic strength. The polyelectrolyte aspect
together with the amphiphilic character and the impacting solvent quality
lead to peculiar solution properties combining structural and phase
behavior. The random phase approximation model is developed for a
dispersed copolymer solutions while under the conditions of micelle
formation, scaling approach is used to briefly discuss the critical micelle
concentration and the aggregation number based on selected reports from
the literature.Keywords: diblock copolymers, amphiphilic, polyelectrolyte, RPA, structure
factor, macrophase, microphase, scaling, micelle, aggregation
1. INTRODUCTION
Diblock copolymers (in short, DCP) consist of two building blocks of
different monomers connected by covalent bonds and showing a certain degree
of incompatibility. Figure 1 gives a schematic representation of such chains
dispersed in solution. The chemical bond between the two blocks leads
to combined properties of the blocks and eventually peculiar structured
morphologies may appear.
Figure 1. Schematic representation of dispersed diblock copolymers in solution.
A = hydrophilic, B = hydrophobic.