Theory of critical micelle concentration for solutions of block copolymers

Abstract

A simple microscopic model for micellar formation in mixtures of block copolymers and homopolymers is presented. The size, number of chains, and energy of formation of micelle are calculated. The fraction of copolymer chains aggregating into micelles is computed as a function of the overall copolymer content. A critical micelle concentration behavior is found for low copolymer contents even for weak incompatibilities of species. The similarity with an aborted phase transition is underlined.