Abstract of Dissertation Presented to the Graduate School
 of the University of Florida in Partial Fulfillment of the
 Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy

 TWO-DIMENSIONAL SELF-ASSEMBLY OF AMPHIPHILIC BLOCK COPOLYMERS AT
 THE AIR/WATER INTERFACE AND NANOPARTICLES FOR DRUG DETOXIFICATION
 APPLICATIONS

 By

 Thomas J. Joncheray

 December 2006

Chair: Randolph S. Duran
Major Department: Chemistry

 The two-dimensional self-assembly at the air/water (A/W) interface of various block

copolymers (dendrimer-like polystyrene-b-poly(tert-butylacrylate) (PS-b-PtBA) and

polystyrene-b-poly(acrylic acid) (PS-b-PAA), linear and five-arm star poly(ethylene oxide)-b-

poly(s-caprolactone) (PEO-b-PCL), and three-arm star triethoxysilane-functionalized

polybutadiene-b-poly(ethylene oxide) (PB(Si(OEt)3)-b-PEO)) was investigated through surface

pressure measurements isothermss, isobars, isochores, and compression-expansion hysteresis

experiments) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) imaging. The PS-b-PtBA and the PS-b-PAA

samples formed well-defined circular surface micelles at low surface pressures with low

aggregation numbers (~ 3-5) compared to linear analogues before collapse of the PtBA chains

and aqueous dissolution of the PAA segments take place around 24 and 5 mN/m, respectively.

The linear PEO-b-PCL samples exhibited three phase transitions at 6.5, 10.5, and 13.5 mN/m

corresponding respectively to PEO aqueous dissolution, PEO brush formation, and PCL

crystallization. The two PEO phase transitions were not observed for the star-shaped PEO-b-PCL

samples because of the negligible surface activity of the star-shaped PEO core compared to its

linear analogue. The PB(Si(OEt)3)-b-PEO sample was cross-linked at the A/W interface by self-