Homopolymer micelles in heterogeneous solvent mixtures.

Amphiphilic homopolymers containing a hydrophilic and a hydrophobic functionality in each monomer unit have been shown to form polar or apolar containers depending on the solvent environment. When presented with a mixture of solvents, these polymeric containers are capable of releasing certain guest molecules. The fundamental mechanism behind these properties is investigated, and the utility of these assemblies in separations has been demonstrated with an example.