Characterisation of block copolymer self-assemblies by thermal field-flow fractionation

The abilityofblock copolymers to self-assemble intovarious nanostructures (such asmicelles) has attracted significant attention over the years as these block copolymers provide a versatile platform that can readily be modified for a wide range of applications. As such, the solution behaviour of block copolymers has been at the forefront of the modern nanotechnology revolution. However, these novel block copolymer-based self-assemblies lack suitable characterisation techniques to determine size, molar mass and compositional distributions simultaneously. This mini-review gives a short background on the current techniques used to determine important micelle properties as well as their limitations for characterising complex samples. Current column-based fractionation techniques used for determining property distributions are addressed. As a result of the limitations of column-based fractionations, a multidetector thermal field-flow fractionation (ThFFF) approach is put forward as a powerful alternative for determining not only size and molar mass distributions, but also other micelle properties as a function of temperature. More importantly, ThFFF is highlighted as the only current characterisation platform capable of addressing the analytical challenges associated with compositional distributions of polymer self-assemblies. (C) 2017 Society of Chemical Industry