Aqueous Self-Assembly of Amphiphilic Cyclic Brush Block Copolymers as Asymmetry-Tunable Building Blocks

2019 ◽  
Vol 52 (18) ◽  
pp. 7042-7051 ◽  
Author(s):  
Junying Yang ◽  
Rong Wang ◽  
Daiqian Xie
2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruiqi Liang ◽  
Yazhen Xue ◽  
Xiaowei Fu ◽  
An Le ◽  
Qingliang Song ◽  
...  

The inability to synthesize hierarchical structures with independently tailored nanoscale and mesoscale features limits the discovery of next-generation multifunctional materials. We present a programmable molecular self-assembly strategy to craft nanostructured materials with a variety of phase-in-phase hierarchical morphologies. The compositionally anisotropic building blocks employed in the assembly process are formed by multi-component graft block copolymers (GBCPs) containing sequence-defined side chains. The judicious design of various structural parameters in the GBCPs enables broadly tunable compositions, morphologies, and lattice parameters across the nanoscale and mesoscale in the assembled structures. Our strategy introduces new design principles for the efficient creation of complex hierarchical structures and provides a facile synthetic platform to access nanomaterials with multiple precisely integrated functionalities.


MRS Bulletin ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 30 (10) ◽  
pp. 700-704 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew V. Tirrell ◽  
Alexander Katz

AbstractThe synthesis of materials via self-assembly typically involves the spontaneous and reversible organization of small building blocks for the purpose of creating conglomerate structures over larger length scales. This introductory article describes self-assembly processes on several length scales, from subnanometer up to millimeter scales, and briefly summarizes some of the incredible diversity of materials that exhibit selfassembly. Articles in this issue cover self-assembly using zeolitic structures, organic molecular crystals, block copolymers, surfactants, mesoscale templates, and soluble crystallization additives. Keywords: block copolymers, materials synthesis, self-assembly, surfactants, templates, zeolites.


2004 ◽  
Vol 818 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark A. Horsch ◽  
Christopher R. Iacovella ◽  
Zhenli Zhang ◽  
Sharon C. Glotzer

AbstractWe studied the self-assembly of nanoscopic building blocks comprised of polymer-tethered nanoparticles using computer simulation and predict that these building blocks can assemble into mono- and multi-layer sheets and shells. The simulations further demonstrate that for some nanoparticle geometries and tethered nanoparticle topologies, ideas from block copolymers, surfactants and liquid crystals can be used to predict the ordered morphologies attained via self- assembly and that for specific cases the morphologies are consistent with Israelachvili packing rules.


2002 ◽  
Vol 724 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth R. Wright ◽  
R. Andrew McMillan ◽  
Alan Cooper ◽  
Robert P. Apkarian ◽  
Vincent P. Conticello

AbstractTriblock copolymers have traditionally been synthesized with conventional organic components. However, triblock copolymers could be synthesized by the incorporation of two incompatible protein-based polymers. The polypeptides would differ in their hydrophobicity and confer unique physiochemical properties to the resultant materials. One protein-based polymer, based on a sequence of native elastin, that has been utilized in the synthesis of biomaterials is poly (Valine-Proline-Glycine-ValineGlycine) or poly(VPGVG) [1]. This polypeptide has been shown to have an inverse temperature transition that can be adjusted by non-conservative amino acid substitutions in the fourth position [2]. By combining polypeptide blocks with different inverse temperature transition values due to hydrophobicity differences, we expect to produce amphiphilic polypeptides capable of self-assembly into hydrogels. Our research examines the design, synthesis and characterization of elastin-mimetic block copolymers as functional biomaterials. The methods that are used for the characterization include variable temperature 1D and 2D High-Resolution-NMR, cryo-High Resolutions Scanning Electron Microscopy and Differential Scanning Calorimetry.


2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hueyling Tan

Molecular self-assembly is ubiquitous in nature and has emerged as a new approach to produce new materials in chemistry, engineering, nanotechnology, polymer science and materials. Molecular self-assembly has been attracting increasing interest from the scientific community in recent years due to its importance in understanding biology and a variety of diseases at the molecular level. In the last few years, considerable advances have been made in the use ofpeptides as building blocks to produce biological materials for wide range of applications, including fabricating novel supra-molecular structures and scaffolding for tissue repair. The study ofbiological self-assembly systems represents a significant advancement in molecular engineering and is a rapidly growing scientific and engineering field that crosses the boundaries ofexisting disciplines. Many self-assembling systems are rangefrom bi- andtri-block copolymers to DNA structures as well as simple and complex proteins andpeptides. The ultimate goal is to harness molecular self-assembly such that design andcontrol ofbottom-up processes is achieved thereby enabling exploitation of structures developed at the meso- and macro-scopic scale for the purposes oflife and non-life science applications. Such aspirations can be achievedthrough understanding thefundamental principles behind the selforganisation and self-synthesis processes exhibited by biological systems.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erik Leonhardt ◽  
Jeff M. Van Raden ◽  
David Miller ◽  
Lev N. Zakharov ◽  
Benjamin Aleman ◽  
...  

Extended carbon nanostructures, such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs), exhibit remarkable properties but are difficult to synthesize uniformly. Herein, we present a new class of carbon nanomaterials constructed via the bottom-up self-assembly of cylindrical, atomically-precise small molecules. Guided by supramolecular design principles and circle packing theory, we have designed and synthesized a fluorinated nanohoop that, in the solid-state, self-assembles into nanotube-like arrays with channel diameters of precisely 1.63 nm. A mild solution-casting technique is then used to construct vertical “forests” of these arrays on a highly-ordered pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) surface through epitaxial growth. Furthermore, we show that a basic property of nanohoops, fluorescence, is readily transferred to the bulk phase, implying that the properties of these materials can be directly altered via precise functionalization of their nanohoop building blocks. The strategy presented is expected to have broader applications in the development of new graphitic nanomaterials with π-rich cavities reminiscent of CNTs.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Niamh Mac Fhionnlaoich ◽  
Stephen Schrettl ◽  
Nicholas B. Tito ◽  
Ye Yang ◽  
Malavika Nair ◽  
...  

The arrangement of nanoscale building blocks into patterns with microscale periodicity is challenging to achieve via self-assembly processes. Here, we report on the phase transition-driven collective assembly of gold nanoparticles in a thermotropic liquid crystal. A temperature-induced transition from the isotropic to the nematic phase leads to the assembly of individual nanometre-sized particles into arrays of micrometre-sized aggregates, whose size and characteristic spacing can be tuned by varying the cooling rate. This fully reversible process offers hierarchical control over structural order on the molecular, nanoscopic, and microscopic level and is an interesting model system for the programmable patterning of nanocomposites with access to micrometre-sized periodicities.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Banger ◽  
Julian Sindram ◽  
Marius Otten ◽  
Jessica Kania ◽  
Alexander Strzelczyk ◽  
...  

We present the synthesis of so called amphiphilic glycomacromolecules (APGs) by using solid-phase polymer synthesis. Based on tailor made building blocks, monosdisperse APGs with varying compositions are synthesized, introducing carbohydrate...


2006 ◽  
pp. 4847-4849 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bulusu Jagannadh ◽  
Marepally Srinivasa Reddy ◽  
Chennamaneni Lohitha Rao ◽  
Anabathula Prabhakar ◽  
Bharatam Jagadeesh ◽  
...  

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