Polymer cubosomes (PCs) are a recent class of self-assembled block copolymer (BCP) microparticles with an accessible periodic channel system. Most reported PCs consist of a polystyrene scaffold, which provides mechanical stability for templating but has a limited intrinsic functionality. Here, we report the synthesis of photocleavable BCPs with compositions suitable for PC formation. We analyze the self-assembly mechanism and study the model release of dyes during irradiation, where the transition of the BCPs from amphiphilic to bishydrophilic causes the rapid disassembly of the PCs. A combination of modeling and experiment shows that the evolution of PCs proceeds first via liquid–liquid phase separation into polymer-rich droplets, followed by microphase separation within this droplet confinement, and finally, membrane reorganization into high internal order. This insight may encourage exploration of alternative preparation strategies to better control the size and homogeneity of PCs.

中文翻译：

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可光裂解的聚合物立方体：合成、自组装和光释放

聚合物立方体（PC）是一类最新的自组装嵌段共聚物（BCP）微粒，具有可访问的周期性通道系统。大多数报道的 PC 由聚苯乙烯支架组成，它为模板提供机械稳定性，但内在功能有限。在这里，我们报道了可光裂解 BCP 的合成，其成分适合 PC 形成。我们分析了自组装机制并研究了辐射过程中染料的释放模型，其中 BCP 从两亲性到双亲水性的转变导致 PC 的快速分解。建模和实验相结合表明，PC的演化首先通过液-液相分离成富含聚合物的液滴，然后在该液滴限制内进行微相分离，最后，膜重组成高内部有序度。这一见解可能会鼓励探索替代的制备策略，以更好地控制 PC 的大小和同质性。