Tuning the Length of Filomicelles Prepared Via Templated Polymerization‐Induced Self‐Assembly
Abstract
High‐aspect‐ratio polymeric micelles (filomicelles, FMs) are attractive anisotropic nanoparticles for a wide range of applications, however, their formation is typically confined to narrow hydrophilic/hydrophobic polymer block ratios, limiting systematic structure–property investigations. Consequently, independent control over micelle width, length, and stiffness remains challenging. A supramolecular polymerization‐induced self‐assembly (PISA) strategy using a bis‐urea core template was recently shown to robustly yield wormlike micelles across a wide range of core block lengths; however, the resulting FM lengths remained highly polydisperse. Herein, we investigate two strategies to tune the contour length: ( i ) Blending in polymer without the bis‐urea sticker and ( ii ) post‐micellization sonication. Unexpectedly, incorporating non‐sticker polymer can increase the contour length. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), fluorescence cross‐correlation spectroscopy (FCCS), and high‐resolution atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used to elucidate the key factors contributing to this peculiar self‐assembly mechanism. Sonication‐induced cleavage led to shortening of the particles and narrower polydispersity in length. Combined, the two strategies provide access to a wide range of anisotropic micelles with accessible aspect ratios ranging from 1 to >150. Considering their long‐term (colloidal) stability, the presented system is an ideal model to study the effect of micellar anisotropy, for example, in drug delivery relevant scenarios.
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BibTeX
@article{hochreiner2026tuning,
title = {{Tuning the Length of Filomicelles Prepared Via Templated Polymerization‐Induced Self‐Assembly}},
author = {Eleonora G Hochreiner and Wiktoria Pioruńska and Gaëlle Mellot and Bence Fehér and Jean‐michel Guigner and Viktoriia Drebezghova and Christophe Sinturel and Cornelus F Van Nostrum and Tina Vermonden and Jutta Rieger and Bas G P Van Ravensteijn},
journal = {Small},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.1002/smll.74648},
url = {https://hal.sorbonne-universite.fr/hal-05772076v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Tuning the Length of Filomicelles Prepared Via Templated Polymerization‐Induced Self‐Assembly
AU - Eleonora G Hochreiner
AU - Wiktoria Pioruńska
AU - Gaëlle Mellot
AU - Bence Fehér
AU - Jean‐michel Guigner
AU - Viktoriia Drebezghova
AU - Christophe Sinturel
AU - Cornelus F Van Nostrum
AU - Tina Vermonden
AU - Jutta Rieger
AU - Bas G P Van Ravensteijn
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/17
JO - Small
DO - 10.1002/smll.74648
UR - https://hal.sorbonne-universite.fr/hal-05772076v1
AB - High‐aspect‐ratio polymeric micelles (filomicelles, FMs) are attractive anisotropic nanoparticles for a wide range of applications, however, their formation is typically confined to narrow hydrophilic/hydrophobic polymer block ratios, limiting systematic structure–property investigations. Consequently, independent control over micelle width, length, and stiffness remains challenging. A supramolecular polymerization‐induced self‐assembly (PISA) strategy using a bis‐urea core template was recently shown to robustly yield wormlike micelles across a wide range of core block lengths; however, the resulting FM lengths remained highly polydisperse. Herein, we investigate two strategies to tune the contour length: ( i ) Blending in polymer without the bis‐urea sticker and ( ii ) post‐micellization sonication. Unexpectedly, incorporating non‐sticker polymer can increase the contour length. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), fluorescence cross‐correlation spectroscopy (FCCS), and high‐resolution atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used to elucidate the key factors contributing to this peculiar self‐assembly mechanism. Sonication‐induced cleavage led to shortening of the particles and narrower polydispersity in length. Combined, the two strategies provide access to a wide range of anisotropic micelles with accessible aspect ratios ranging from 1 to >150. Considering their long‐term (colloidal) stability, the presented system is an ideal model to study the effect of micellar anisotropy, for example, in drug delivery relevant scenarios.
SN - 1613-6810
SN - 1613-6829
ER -