Discrete nano-aggregates of a poly(ethylene oxide)-b-polybutadiene diblock copolymer(PEO-b-PB)were obtmned by self-assembling of the copolymer in a selective solvent of PB followed by the shell cross-linking.The average behaviors of the PEO crystallization and melting confined within the nano-structured aggregates were studied by differential scanning calorimetry experiments The experiments demonstrated that the confinement effect arisen from the shells could be tuned by adjusting the degree of PB cross-linking.For the deeply cross-linked sample
the individual paaicles only crystallized at very low crystallization temperature(Tc)
wherein the homogenous primary nucleation determined the crystallization rate.For the lightly cross-linked sample
the confinement effect is Tc dependent.When Tc exceeded 42℃
the lighfly cross-linked sample possessed a higher melting temperature and a lower crystallinity compared with the pure PEO-b-PB.