A new photosensitive polymaleic anhydride terpolymer (P(FM5C-co-MAH-co-St)) was synthesized using radical terpolymerization of maleic anhydride (MAH)

styrene (St) and the macromonomer (FM5C

a methacrylate derivate) with a photo-crosslinkable cinnamate pendent.The terpolymer was characterized by GPC

FTIR and 1H-NMR.The self-assembling of the terpolymer was carried out in aqueous solutions.The basic strategy is to form photo-crosslinked colloid particles (PCCPs) by the photodimerization of the cinnamate groups under UV irradiation (300 nm)

and then to regulate the morphology of PCCPs by the functional aminolysis reaction between maleic anhydride unit and 2-aminopyridine.It was found that the terpolymic colloid particles (TCPs) would gain a much closer morphology and a more hydrophobic local environment after the photo-crosslinking reaction

and the hydrophilic environment and the average size of PCCPs would increase after the aminolysis regulation.DLS analysis and TEM images showed that TCPs and PCCPs formed well defined solid nano-spheres in aqueous solutions with the average size of 100 nm

but after aminolysis reaction

the average size for PCCPs dramatically increased to about 150 nm.The pyrene probe technique showed that TCPs would gain a much closer morphology and a more hydrophobic local environment after photo-crosslinking with a low I1/I3 (1.40) against the high I1/I3 (1.75) before photocrosslinking reaction

but after aminolysis reaction

the PCCPs expanded and the ratio increased to 1.67.