Uniform, high aspect ratio fiber-like micelles and block co-micelles with a crystalline π-conjugated polythiophene core by self-seeding

Monodisperse fiber-like micelles with a crystalline π-conjugated polythiophene core with lengths up to ca. 700 nm were successfully prepared from the diblock copolymer poly(3-hexylthiophene)-block-polystyrene using a one-dimensional self-seeding technique. Addition of a polythiophene block copolymer with a different corona-forming block to the resulting nanofibers led to the formation of segmented B-A-B triblock co-micelles by crystallization- driven seeded growth. The key to these advances appears to be the formation of a relatively defect-free crystalline micelle core under the self-seeding conditions.