Kinetic state diagrams for a highly asymmetric block copolymer assembled in solution.

Polymer self-assembly is used to form nanomaterials with a wide range of structures. While self-assembly of polymers in bulk has been thoroughly explored, the same process in solution remains widely used but partially unresolved, due to the formation of structures which are often kinetically trapped. In this paper we report kinetic state diagrams of polystyrene-b-poly(ethylene oxide) block copolymer in water by changing the solvent-switch assembly conditions.