Highly Aggregated Structures in Aqueous Solutions from Statistical Copolymers of N-Vinylpyrrolidone and 2-Chloroethyl Vinyl Ether for Efficient Hydrophobic Entrapment

The aqueous self-assembly behavior of amphiphilic statistical copolymers, composed of hydrophilic N-vinylpyrrolidone (NVP) and hydrophobic 2-chloroethyl vinyl ether (CEVE), was investigated. Dynamic and static light scattering (DLS and SLS) analyses revealed significant structural variations heavily dependent on the copolymer composition. Specifically, formulations with a high hydrophobic CEVE content exhibited a clear tendency to form highly aggregated systems in aqueous media. These morphological transitions and the resulting supramolecular architectures were visually confirmed via Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). The encapsulation capacity of these assemblies was subsequently evaluated using curcumin as a model hydrophobic guest. Despite their inherent statistical sequence, which typically lacks the distinct microphase separation observed in block copolymers, these systems successfully self-assembled and demonstrated high encapsulation efficiency. These findings indicate that such statistical copolymers constitute an effective and structurally simple platform for the entrapment of hydrophobic compounds, underscoring their potential in advanced encapsulation applications.