Positron lifetime annihilation spectroscopy (PALS) was used to study the temperature- dependence of sub-nanometer size local free volumes in two atactic poly(n-octadecyl methacrylate)s (PODMA) with different molecular weight. These materials exhibit short range layered structure with a self-assembly and crystallization of side chains. From the ortho-positronium (o-Ps) lifetime the size of free volume holes and its distribution are calculated. At a temperature Tm=311 ± 5 K, the mean hole volume <vh> shows an abrupt and strong increase from 0.15 nm3 to 0.2 nm3, which comes from the melting of side-chains. The reverse effect, attributed to side chain crystallization, was observed during cooling the samples at slightly lower temperatures. The lifetime result of PODMA is compared with semifluorinated polyesters in which the side chain has an oxydecylperfluorodecyl structure (-O-(CH2)10-(CF2)9-CF3). Long chain polymers without side-chains such as polyethylene and short side-chain poly(n-alkyl methacrylate)s: poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and poly(n-hexyl methacrylate) (PHMA) are also compared with these polymers.
Synthesis and complex self-assembly of amphiphilic block copolymers with a branched hydrophobic poly(2-oxazoline) into multicompartment micelles, pseudo-vesicles and yolk/shell nanoparticles
