The Polymer Society of Korea

Abstract

Random copolymers inherently possess heterogeneous sequence ensembles across individual chains, even at an identical average composition, and this heterogeneity can strongly influence their collective behavior. However, how sequence distribution affects structure formation and mechanical response in high-concentration gels remains unexplored. Here, we design mixtures of amphiphilic random copolymers with the same average compositions but systematically varied sequence distributions to investigate their self-assembly behavior. Small-angle X-ray scattering reveals distinct nanostructures depending on the distribution width, while optical and rheological analyses demonstrate that sequence distribution governs network homogeneity and gel mechanical properties. These results show that structure–property correlations can be engineered by tuning the overall sequence ensemble in random polymers, offering a predictive materials design strategy without sequence-defined polymer synthesis.