Disk-cylinder and disk-sphere nanoparticles via a block copolymer blend solution construction

Abstract

Researchers strive to produce nanoparticles with complexity in composition and structure. Although traditional spherical, cylindrical and membranous, or planar, nanostructures are ubiquitous, scientists seek more complicated geometries for potential functionality. Here we report the simple solution construction of multigeometry nanoparticles, disk-sphere and diskcylinder, through a straightforward, molecular-level, blending strategy with binary mixtures of block copolymers. The multigeometry nanoparticles contain disk geometry in the core with either spherical patches along the disk periphery in the case of disk-sphere particles or cylindrical edges and handles in the case of the disk-cylinder particles. The portions of different geometry in the same nanoparticles contain different core block chemistry, thus also defining multicompartments in the nanoparticles. Although the block copolymers chosen for the blends are important for the definition of the final hybrid particles, the control of the kinetic pathway of assembly is critical for successful multigeometry particle construction.

Homopolymers as Structure-Driving Agents in Semicrystalline Block Copolymer Micelles

“…The following tests examine the interplay between a set of homopolymer-containing spheres and a second micellar population that contains no homo-PCL. To this end, we mixed separate (preformed) micellar populations of PEO 45 -b-PCL 24 and PAA 57 -b-PCL 47 , and allowed them to coevolve in water; only one of the two micellar populations was made in the presence of PCL 10 . As suggested by the TEM images in Figure 4A,B, the shape of the final products is the same in each case.…”

Uniform patchy and hollow rectangular platelet micelles from crystallizable polymer blends

“…The most common morphologies formed are spheres, cylinders, and vesicles and colloidal stability is provided by the presence of the solvent swollen corona-forming block. The co-assembly or "blending" of different BCPs has recently been shown to provide a useful route to targeted conventional morphologies and also more complex nanostructures such as disk-sphere or disk-cylinder hybrid micelles (11,12). As a result of their preference for the formation of rigid assemblies characterized by a core-corona interface with low mean curvature, BCPs with crystallizable core-forming blocks offer a promising route to planar micellar architectures (platelets) containing a core analogous to the well-studied, but colloidally unstable 2D lamellar single crystals formed by the solution crystallization of homopolymers (2,13).…”

Synthetische kovalente und nichtkovalente zweidimensionale Materialien

“…[152] Dieses Verfahren wurde in 1D eingesetzt, um auf exakte Weise gleichfçr-mige Strukturen mit kontrollierter Grçße und geringer Polydispersität durch Verfahren wie die Keimpartikel-Wachstumsmethode [142] und Selbstimpfung [153,154] herzustellen und eine Vielzahl von Multikompartimentblockcomicellen mit nanosegregierter Funktionalität zu generieren. [155,156] Das Erweitern dieses Verfahrens auf 2D-Systeme wäre sehr wünschenswert, da die erhaltenen Materialien Anwendungen in Duroplasten, [157] Kompositen [158][159][160] und als Plattform für Nanopartikel [124,144,161] [164] Aufder Grundlage früherer Arbeiten, bei denen lebende CDSA zum Herstellen von Blockcomicellen mit nanosegregierter 1D-Funktionalität angewendet wurde, [155,165,166] wurde 2014 demonstriert, dass Multikompartimentblockcomicellen in zwei Dimensionen synthetisiert werden kçnnen. [145] In [145] Die Kombination dieser Selbstorganisationsvorgänge erlaubt 2D-Materialien zeigen je nach ihrer Zusammensetzung und ihren Baueinheiten Eigenschaften, die sie interessant aus Sicht der Grundlagenforschung ebenso wie aus der Anwendungsperspektive machen.…”