| The self-assembly of amphiphilic block copolymers is dictated primarily by the balance between the hydrophobic core volume and the hydrophilic corona. In these studies, amphiphilic block copolymers containing poly(lysine) (P(Lys)) blocks were synthesized and their solution properties studied using dynamic light scattering, circular dichroism spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Rod-coil block copolymers containing P(Lys) are able to self-assemble into responsive micelles and vesicles, as well as organogels and lyotropic liquid crystals. Such a rich morphological behavior is unparalleled for any other type of block copolymer system. This talk will present some recent developments in the characterization of P(Lys)-based rod-coil block copolymers in solution. First, the effect of morphological changes due to secondary structure transitions will be discussed in the context of interfacial curvature changes with pH and temperature. The second part of this talk will discuss the effect of using 'click' chemistry in the synthesis of rod-coil block copolymers in terms of creating interfacial frustration to control morphology. |