MIXED MICELLES IN A BIDISPERSE SOLUTION OF DIBLOCK COPOLYMERS

This paper discusses theoretically the formation of micelles in a bidi sperse solution of diblock copolymers. The two populations of copolyme r chains are of identical chemical nature but have otherwise arbitrary different block asymmetries. We find that these asymmetries, or corre spondingly the relative ratios of curvature of the diblocks, determine the micellization scenario and the type of aggregates coexisting in s olution. If the asymmetries between the sizes of the blocks of the two copolymers are not too large, the short copolymers are incorporated c ontinuously in the large copolymer micelles and only mixed micelles ar e stable. If the asymmetries are larger, the mixed micelles always con tain a finite number of short copolymer chains; mixed micelles and lar ge copolymer micelles can then coexist.