Self-assembly behavior of inconvertible star poly(acrylic acid) conformers based on p - tert -butylthiacalix[4]arene

Inconvertible star poly(acrylic acid) conformers based on p-tert-butylthiacalix[ 4]arene (PAA-C and PAA-A) having cone and 1,3-alternate conformations were prepared by atom transfer radical polymerization of tert-butyl acrylate and subsequent hydrolysis. Selective 1D NOESY analyses confirmed that the spatial structures of 4-arm star polymers, both poly(tert-butyl acrylate) and PAA, were preserved during the polymerization and hydrolysis processes. Self-assembly behavior of PAA conformers in aqueous solution was investigated. PAA-C formed the spherical micelles, whereas PAA-A solution did not show any kind of distinctive defined structures.