A novel, amphiphilic ethyl cellulose grafting copolymer with poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) side chains and its micellization

Ethyl cellulose-graft-poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (EC-graft-PHEMA) graft copolymers were synthesized by atom-transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) in methanol. The graft copolymers were characterized by means of gel-permeation chromatography (GPC) and H-1 NMR spectroscopy. The kinetic study indicated that the polymerization was controllable. The EC-graft-PHEMA copolymers self-assembled in water into spherical micelles. The morphology of the micelles was characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and transmission electric microscopy (TEM) and the formation process of the micelles was discussed.