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Weisbord I, Segal-Peretz T. Revealing the 3D Structure of Block Copolymers with Electron Microscopy: Current Status and Future Directions. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2023; 15:58003-58022. [PMID: 37338172 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.3c02956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/21/2023]
Abstract
Block copolymers (BCPs) are considered model systems for understanding and utilizing self-assembly in soft matter. Their tunable nanometric structure and composition enable comprehensive studies of self-assembly processes as well as make them relevant materials in diverse applications. A key step in developing and controlling BCP nanostructures is a full understanding of their three-dimensional (3D) structure and how this structure is affected by the BCP chemistry, confinement, boundary conditions, and the self-assembly evolution and dynamics. Electron microscopy (EM) is a leading method in BCP 3D characterization owing to its high resolution in imaging nanosized structures. Here we discuss the two main 3D EM methods: namely, transmission EM tomography and slice and view scanning EM tomography. We present each method's principles, examine their strengths and weaknesses, and discuss ways researchers have devised to overcome some of the challenges in BCP 3D characterization with EM- from specimen preparation to imaging radiation-sensitive materials. Importantly, we review current and new cutting-edge EM methods such as direct electron detectors, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy of soft matter, high temporal rate imaging, and single-particle analysis that have great potential for expanding the BCP understanding through EM in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inbal Weisbord
- Chemical Engineering Department, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel
| | - Tamar Segal-Peretz
- Chemical Engineering Department, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel
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Thedford RP, Yu F, Tait WRT, Shastri K, Monticone F, Wiesner U. The Promise of Soft-Matter-Enabled Quantum Materials. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2023; 35:e2203908. [PMID: 35863756 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202203908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2022] [Revised: 07/14/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The field of quantum materials has experienced rapid growth over the past decade, driven by exciting new discoveries with immense transformative potential. Traditional synthetic methods to quantum materials have, however, limited the exploration of architectural control beyond the atomic scale. By contrast, soft matter self-assembly can be used to tailor material structure over a large range of length scales, with a vast array of possible form factors, promising emerging quantum material properties at the mesoscale. This review explores opportunities for soft matter science to impact the synthesis of quantum materials with advanced properties. Existing work at the interface of these two fields is highlighted, and perspectives are provided on possible future directions by discussing the potential benefits and challenges which can arise from their bridging.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Paxton Thedford
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, 14853, USA
- Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, 14853, USA
| | - Fei Yu
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, 14853, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, 14853, USA
| | - William R T Tait
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, 14853, USA
- Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, 14853, USA
| | - Kunal Shastri
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, 14853, USA
| | - Francesco Monticone
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, 14853, USA
| | - Ulrich Wiesner
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, 14853, USA
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Miyata T, Wang HF, Suenaga T, Watanabe D, Marubayashi H, Jinnai H. Dislocation-Induced Defect Formation in a Double-Gyroid Network. Macromolecules 2022. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.2c01298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Tomohiro Miyata
- Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8577, Japan
| | - Hsiao-Fang Wang
- Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8577, Japan
| | - Takafumi Suenaga
- Department of Applied Chemistry, School of Engineering, Tohoku University, 6-6 Aramaki Aza Aoba, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8579, Japan
| | - Daisuke Watanabe
- Department of Applied Chemistry, School of Engineering, Tohoku University, 6-6 Aramaki Aza Aoba, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8579, Japan
| | - Hironori Marubayashi
- Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8577, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Jinnai
- Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8577, Japan
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Reddy A, Feng X, Thomas EL, Grason GM. Block Copolymers beneath the Surface: Measuring and Modeling Complex Morphology at the Subdomain Scale. Macromolecules 2021. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.1c00958] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Abhiram Reddy
- Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, United States
| | - Xueyan Feng
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, United States
| | - Edwin L. Thomas
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, United States
| | - Gregory M. Grason
- Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, United States
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Abstract
Periodic gyroid network materials have many interesting properties (band gaps, topologically protected modes, superior charge and mass transport, and outstanding mechanical properties) due to the space-group symmetries and their multichannel triply continuous morphology. The three-dimensional structure of a twin boundary in a self-assembled polystyrene-b-polydimethylsiloxane (PS-PDMS) double-gyroid (DG) forming diblock copolymer is directly visualized using dual-beam scanning microscopy. The reconstruction clearly shows that the intermaterial dividing surface (IMDS) is smooth and continuous across the boundary plane as the pairs of chiral PDMS networks suddenly change their handedness. The boundary plane therefore acts as a topological mirror. The morphology of the normally chiral nodes and strut loops within the networks is altered in the twin-boundary plane with the formation of three new types of achiral nodes and the appearance of two new classes of achiral loops. The boundary region shares a very similar surface/volume ratio and distribution of the mean and Gaussian curvatures of the IMDS as the adjacent ordered DG grain regions, suggesting the twin is a low-energy boundary.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xueyan Feng
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77840
| | - Mujin Zhuo
- Department of Material Science and Nano Engineering, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005
| | - Hua Guo
- Department of Material Science and Nano Engineering, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005
| | - Edwin L Thomas
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77840;
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Jangizehi A, Schmid F, Besenius P, Kremer K, Seiffert S. Defects and defect engineering in Soft Matter. SOFT MATTER 2020; 16:10809-10859. [PMID: 33306078 DOI: 10.1039/d0sm01371d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Soft matter covers a wide range of materials based on linear or branched polymers, gels and rubbers, amphiphilic (macro)molecules, colloids, and self-assembled structures. These materials have applications in various industries, all highly important for our daily life, and they control all biological functions; therefore, controlling and tailoring their properties is crucial. One way to approach this target is defect engineering, which aims to control defects in the material's structure, and/or to purposely add defects into it to trigger specific functions. While this approach has been a striking success story in crystalline inorganic hard matter, both for mechanical and electronic properties, and has also been applied to organic hard materials, defect engineering is rarely used in soft matter design. In this review, we present a survey on investigations on defects and/or defect engineering in nine classes of soft matter composed of liquid crystals, colloids, linear polymers with moderate degree of branching, hyperbranched polymers and dendrimers, conjugated polymers, polymeric networks, self-assembled amphiphiles and proteins, block copolymers and supramolecular polymers. This overview proposes a promising role of this approach for tuning the properties of soft matter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amir Jangizehi
- Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Department of Chemistry, Duesbergweg 10-14, D-55128 Mainz, Germany
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Seeing mesoatomic distortions in soft-matter crystals of a double-gyroid block copolymer. Nature 2019; 575:175-179. [DOI: 10.1038/s41586-019-1706-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2019] [Accepted: 08/23/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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Atomic Layer Deposition of Inorganic Thin Films on 3D Polymer Nanonetworks. APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL 2019. [DOI: 10.3390/app9101990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Atomic layer deposition (ALD) is a unique tool for conformally depositing inorganic thin films with precisely controlled thickness at nanoscale. Recently, ALD has been used in the manufacture of inorganic thin films using a three-dimensional (3D) nanonetwork structure made of polymer as a template, which is pre-formed by advanced 3D nanofabrication techniques such as electrospinning, block-copolymer (BCP) lithography, direct laser writing (DLW), multibeam interference lithography (MBIL), and phase-mask interference lithography (PMIL). The key technical requirement of this polymer template-assisted ALD is to perform the deposition process at a lower temperature, preserving the nanostructure of the polymer template during the deposition process. This review focuses on the successful cases of conformal deposition of inorganic thin films on 3D polymer nanonetworks using thermal ALD or plasma-enhanced ALD at temperatures below 200 °C. Recent applications and prospects of nanostructured polymer–inorganic composites or hollow inorganic materials are also discussed.
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