Self-assembly on the nanoscale is a key property that nature relies on to generate biological membranes. These membranes provide a structural framework via a microenvironment and a functional framework by incorporation of channels, receptors, and pumps. By exploiting hydrophobic–hydrophilic interactions, these membranes assemble into bilayers and other structures. If we hope to mimic the principles of natural nanoarchitectures, the selfassembling membrane is a critical component. Recently, a plethora of polymeric systems has successfully exploited self-assembly for the purposes of drug delivery, biomedical coatings, virus-assisted gene delivery, and nanoreactors. These are amphiphilic diblock or triblock copolymers that self-assemble into micelles, worm-like micelles, tubular structures, membranes, or vesicles in a suitable solvent.
Recently, click chemistry has found considerable use in polymer–polymer conjugation via the copper-catalyzed azide–alkyne cycloaddtion (CuAAC) reaction. Click-based conjugation allows for the modular synthesis of block copolymer architectures with well-defined block lengths and endgroups. This allows for systematic investigation of the effect of a single parameter variation on the self-assembling properties of the macromolecular system. For example, by using individually well-characterized hydrophobic and hydrophilic blocks, the effect of the hydrophilic block length on the self assembling properties could be studied. This exquisite level of control allows for sophisticated scientific exploration and will enable the understanding of the underlying structure–function relationships that influence the physics of self assembly in these macromolecules.