In order to investigate the explicit self-assembly variations of the photoluminescent polymers under different micro-environments

two pH-responsive blue light emitting polymer molecular brushes (P2 and P3) were successfully synthesized through Suzuki coupling reaction and atom transfer radical polymerization.The molecular structures of polymers P2 and P3 were fully characterized by 1H-NMR

13C-NMR

elemental analysis and gel-permeation chromatograph

respectively.The Fourier transform infrared spectra of polymers P2 and P3 in thin solid films further verified the successful synthesis of polymer molecular brushes through atom transfer radical polymerization.The photophysical properties and self-assembly behaviors of polymers P2 and P3 were examined through UV-Vis absorption

photoluminescent emission spectra

dynamic laser light scattering and transmission electron microscopy under different experimental conditions.The self-assembly variations of polymers P2 and P3 in different solvents or temperatures were studied to illustrate the correlation between the morphologies of the formed vesicles and the chemical structures of the polymers.The size and morphologies of the formed vesicles from polymers P2 and P3 can be effectively tuned in a range of 2100 nm to 300 nm with the shape of sphere

spindle

hollow and nuclear-shell structure.The water solubility of polymer P3 is worse than that of polymer P2

which makes polymer P3 easier to form sphere-shaped vesicles in the mixture solvent of tetrahydrofuran and water with more water proporation.This work can serve as an excellent exploratory example for the fine self-assembly control in the blue-light emitting polymer molecular brushes with different amphipathic side chains.