Stimuli-responsive polymer wormlike micelles

Smart soft materials comprising stimuli-responsive micelles represent an innovative imitation of materials found in nature. These morphologically multicolored assemblies manifest versatile compliances in response to multiple triggers from environmental changes. Among these, asymmetric amphiphilic block copolymers afford elegant morphological structures in a number of giant micelles, including spheres, vesicles, and worms. Herein, we review the switching manifestation of polymer wormlike micelles (PWLMs) toward various stimuli, including heat, pH, CO2, redox, solvent, and multiple triggers reported so far. Besides, subsequent structural variation and macroscopic properties, such as viscosity, elasticity, and spontaneous sol-gel transition have been generalized and rationalized meticulously. Perspectives on promising prospects of smart PWLMs are presented in the conclusion. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.