CO2‐activated reversible transition between polymersomes and micelles with AIE fluorescence

: Fluorescent polymersomes with both aggregation-induced emission (AIE) and CO2 -responsive properties were developed from amphiphilic block copolymer PEG-b-P(DEAEMA-co-TPEMA) in which the hydrophobic block was a copolymer made of tetraphenylethene functionalized methacrylate (TPEMA) and 2-(diethylamino)ethyl methacrylate (DEAEMA) with unspecified sequence arrangement. Four block copolymers with different DEAEMA/TPEMA and hydrophilic/hydrophobic ratios were synthesized, and bright AIE polymersomes were prepared by nanoprecipitation in THF/water and dioxane/water systems. Polymersomes of PEG45 -b-P(DEAEMA36 -co-TPEMA6 ) were chosen to study the CO2 -responsive property. Upon CO2 bubbling vesicles transformed to small spherical micelles, and upon Ar bubbling micelles returned to vesicles with the presence of a few intermediate morphologies. These polymersomes might have promising applications as sensors, nanoreactors, or controlled release systems.