Abstract

Macromolecular self-assembly has provided a good means by which to selectively assemble polymers into well-defined nanostructures such as polymeric micelles, vesicles, and other morphologies. The polymeric micelles are good candidates for the application in drug delivery, gene delivery, and nanoreactors. In this review, the basic concepts and the recent advances in the preparation and application of polymeric micelles are presented. Polymeric micelles that respond to external stimuli such as pH, temperature, redox, and light, to afford a change in structure, morphology, or controlled release event are also introduced. Finally, we summarize the current limitations and the perspective in the preparation and application of polymeric micelles.