SHEAR-INDUCED MICELLIZATION OF DIBLOCK COPOLYMERS

The influence of a weak shear flow on the micellization of diblock cop olymers in selective solvents is investigated. The micelles are descri bed as small microgel beads and the hydrodynamic fields calculated wit hin the Brinkman approximation. The critical micellar concentration is shown to decrease in the shear flow, leading to the possibility of sh ear-induced micellization. It is also shown that the aggregation numbe r of the micelles is modified by the flow: it increases for micelles w ith a large asymmetry but decreases for more symmetric micelles.