The morphological control of polymer micellar aggregates is an important issue in applications such as nanomedicine and material science. Stimuli responsive soft materials have attracted significant attention for their well-controlled morphologies. However, despite extensive studies, it is still a challenge to prepare nanoscale assemblies with responsive behaviors. Herein, a new chiral liquid crystal (LC) aliphatic polycarbonate with side chain bearing diosgenyl mesogen, named mPEG43-PMCC25-P(MCC-DHO)15, was synthesized through the ring-opening polymerization and coupling reaction. The self-assembled behavior of the LC copolymer was explored. In aqueous solution, the functionalized copolymer could self-organize into different nanostructures with changing pH value, such as nanospheres and nanofibers. This would offer new possibilities in the design of nanostructured organic materials.
Keywords: diosgenin; liquid crystal; nanofibers; nanospheres; self-assembly.