Chain exchange kinetics of diblock copolymer micelles studied by nonradiative energy transfer .1. Experimental design and theory

A fluorescence experiment involving mixing donor-labeled micelles with acceptor-labeled unimers has been designed and a kinetic scheme for describing such an experiment has been proposed. An approximate analytical solution was found for the decrease in the donor fluorescence intensity at time t after sample mixing relative to that at time zero, I(t)/I(0). Treating the data of this decrease in donor fluorescence intensity as a function of time using the derived equation allows the simultaneous determination of the rate constant k(n) for unimer incorporation into micelles and the quenching efficiency phi of donor fluorescence by an acceptor in a micelle.