Critical Micelle Concentration of Micelles with Different Geometries in Diblock Copolymer/Homopolymer Blends

Abstract It is well‐known that A‐B diblock copolymers in selective solvents or A‐homopolymers can form micelles of different shapes. The critical micelle concentration (CMC) of three basic micelle shapes (lamellar, cylindrical, and spherical) are calculated using the self‐consistent field theory formulated in the grand canonical ensemble. For a given set of molecular parameters, the stable micelle morphology is determined by a comparison of the CMC. The results confirm that micelles undergo a sequence of shape transitions, lamellar → cylindrical → spherical, when the A‐block of the diblock copolymer becomes longer. The results also reveal details about the micelle structure, such as the core radius and corona thickness. This information can be used to understand the effect of homopolymer molecular weight and monomer–monomer interaction on the micelle morphologies. magnified image