Fig. 2

Polymer structure, morphology characterization, and viscosity measurements. a Chemical structures for the SOS, IOI, and BOB triblock copolymers used in this work. b, c TEM images of the distinctly different final aqueous states formed via rapid-injection using SOS(8-65-8). b Isolated micelles form when using a 0.02 wt% SOS(8-65-8) polymer solution in THF, and c microgels form when using a 1.0 wt% SOS(8-65-8) polymer solution in THF. The TEM images were negatively stained with 0.75% uranyl formate, which show the micelle cores in the dry state. The micelle size determined from TEM is less than the hydrodynamic radius observed by DLS. d Transparent spherical and rectangular hydrogels formed using a 10.0 wt% SOS(8-65-8) polymer solution in THF. The final hydrogel has a polymer content of 5.2 wt% in water (Supplementary Table 5). e DLS plots of the colloidal micelles and microgels formed when SOS(8-65-8) polymer solutions at different concentrations are injected into water. For microgel samples, DLS measurements were run on the supernatant after large aggregates were allowed to settle. f Universal specific viscosity versus normalized polymer concentration (c/c*) plot for the SOS, IOI, and BOB polymers used in the study. The black lines indicate the expected power laws for dilute, semi-dilute, and entangled concentration regimes. Source data are provided as a Source Data file. TEM transmission electron microscopy, DLS dynamic light scattering, THF tetrahydrofuran