Emulsifying Performance of Self-assembled Micelles Based on Amphiphilic Copolymer P(St/VBT-co-MA)

Using 1-(4-vinylbenzyl) thymine (VBT),styrene (St), and maleic anhydride (MA) as comonomers,amphiphilic copolymer P(St/VBT-co-MA) (PSVM) was synthesized by free radical copolymerization,which could be self-assembled into micelles in the selective solvent N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF)-H₂O.The morphologies,sizes,and size distributions of the micelles were characterized by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS).Using the micelles as particle emulsifiers to stabilize white oil-water system to form emulsions,the influence of micelle concentration,pH value,salt concentration on the emulsifying properties were studied and the morphologies of emulsions were analyzed by Optical Microscope (OM).Results showed that PSVM was successfully synthesized by free radical polymerization,which could be self-assembled into spherical micelles with uniform sizes.PSVM micelles had excellent emulsifying efficiency.The emulsions were long-term stable and pH-dependent and showed strong salt resistance.After four months,the emulsions still had excellent emulsifying effect and the height of the emulsions layer remained basically unchanged.