From Non-equilibrium to Equilibrium: Micellar Kinetics seen by Time-resolved Small-angle Scattering

The kinetic pathways of self-assembled nanostructures are not fully understood. Time-resolved small-angle X-ray/neutron scattering (TR-SAXS/SANS) is powerful technique$^{\mathrm{1}}$ that allows kinetics processes such as nucleation processes$^{\mathrm{2,3}}$ and morphological transitions$^{\mathrm{4,5}}$ to be followed with structural resolution over time scales starting from milliseconds. Neutrons offer the additional advantage of facile contrast variation through H/D substitution schemes, which also allow equilibrium processes such as molecular exchange and diffusion to be studied$^{\mathrm{1,6,7}}$. Here we will highlight the current capabilities of TR-SAS and show results on the kinetics of polymeric micelles. We will address how the understanding of kinetic pathways can be used control the nanostructure. \begin{enumerate} \item Lund, R.; Willner, L.; Richter, D. Adv Polym Sci. 2013, 259, 51--158. \item Lund, R.; et al. Phys Rev Lett. 2009, 102, 188301. \item Jensen, et al J. S. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2013, 135, 7214--7222. \item Lund, R. et al . ACS Macro Lett. 2013, 2, 1082--1087. \item Jensen, et al Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2014, 53, 11524--11528. \item Lund, R. et al Phys Rev Lett. 2006, 96, 068302. \item S. H. Choi, et al Phys Rev Lett. 2010, 104, 47802. \end{enumerate}