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Chen H, Schumacher M, Ianiro A, Stank TJ, Janoszka N, Chen C, Azhdari S, Hellweg T, Gröschel AH. Photocleavable Polymer Cubosomes: Synthesis, Self-Assembly, and Photorelease. J Am Chem Soc 2024; 146:14776-14784. [PMID: 38668645 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.4c02651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/30/2024]
Abstract
Polymer cubosomes (PCs) are a recent class of self-assembled block copolymer (BCP) microparticles with an accessible periodic channel system. Most reported PCs consist of a polystyrene scaffold, which provides mechanical stability for templating but has a limited intrinsic functionality. Here, we report the synthesis of photocleavable BCPs with compositions suitable for PC formation. We analyze the self-assembly mechanism and study the model release of dyes during irradiation, where the transition of the BCPs from amphiphilic to bishydrophilic causes the rapid disassembly of the PCs. A combination of modeling and experiment shows that the evolution of PCs proceeds first via liquid-liquid phase separation into polymer-rich droplets, followed by microphase separation within this droplet confinement, and finally, membrane reorganization into high internal order. This insight may encourage exploration of alternative preparation strategies to better control the size and homogeneity of PCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Chen
- Institute for Physical Chemistry and Center for Soft Nanoscience (SoN), University of Münster, Corrensstraße 28-30, Münster 48149, Germany
| | - Marcel Schumacher
- Institute for Physical Chemistry and Center for Soft Nanoscience (SoN), University of Münster, Corrensstraße 28-30, Münster 48149, Germany
| | - Alessandro Ianiro
- Department of Chemistry, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200F, Leuven 3001, Belgium
- Biophysics Group, Adolphe Merkle Institute, Chemin des Verdiers 4, Fribourg 1700, Switzerland
| | - Tim Julian Stank
- Department of Chemistry, Physical and Biophysical Chemistry, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld 33615, Germany
| | - Nicole Janoszka
- Institute for Physical Chemistry and Center for Soft Nanoscience (SoN), University of Münster, Corrensstraße 28-30, Münster 48149, Germany
| | - Chen Chen
- Institute for Physical Chemistry and Center for Soft Nanoscience (SoN), University of Münster, Corrensstraße 28-30, Münster 48149, Germany
| | - Suna Azhdari
- Institute for Physical Chemistry and Center for Soft Nanoscience (SoN), University of Münster, Corrensstraße 28-30, Münster 48149, Germany
| | - Thomas Hellweg
- Department of Chemistry, Physical and Biophysical Chemistry, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld 33615, Germany
| | - André H Gröschel
- Institute for Physical Chemistry and Center for Soft Nanoscience (SoN), University of Münster, Corrensstraße 28-30, Münster 48149, Germany
- Polymer Materials for Energy Storage (PES), Bavarian Center for Battery Technology (BayBatt) and Bavarian Polymer Institute (BPI), University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstr. 30, Bayreuth 95448, Germany
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Brisson ERL, Worthington MJH, Kerai S, Müllner M. Nanoscale polymer discs, toroids and platelets: a survey of their syntheses and potential applications. Chem Soc Rev 2024; 53:1984-2021. [PMID: 38173417 DOI: 10.1039/d1cs01114f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
Polymer self-assembly has become a reliable and versatile workhorse to produce polymeric nanomaterials. With appropriate polymer design and monomer selection, polymers can assemble into shapes and morphologies beyond well-studied spherical and cylindrical micellar structures. Steadfast access to anisotropic polymer nanoparticles has meant that the fabrication and application of 2D soft matter has received increasing attention in recent years. In this review, we focus on nanoscale polymer discs, toroids, and platelets: three morphologies that are often interrelated and made from similar starting materials or common intermediates. For each morphology, we illustrate design rules, and group and discuss commonly used self-assembly strategies. We further highlight polymer compositions, fundamental principles and self-assembly conditions that enable precision in bottom-up fabrication strategies. Finally, we summarise potential applications of such nanomaterials, especially in the context of biomedical research and template chemistry and elaborate on future endeavours in this space.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma R L Brisson
- Key Centre for Polymers and Colloids, School of Chemistry, The University of Sydney, Sydney 2006 NSW, Australia.
| | - Max J H Worthington
- Key Centre for Polymers and Colloids, School of Chemistry, The University of Sydney, Sydney 2006 NSW, Australia.
| | - Simran Kerai
- Key Centre for Polymers and Colloids, School of Chemistry, The University of Sydney, Sydney 2006 NSW, Australia.
| | - Markus Müllner
- Key Centre for Polymers and Colloids, School of Chemistry, The University of Sydney, Sydney 2006 NSW, Australia.
- The University of Sydney Nano Institute (Sydney Nano), The University of Sydney, Sydney 2006 NSW, Australia
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Tan Z, Lee J, Kim J, Ku KH, Kim BJ. Nanosheet Particles with Defect-Free Block Copolymer Structures Driven by Emulsions Containing Crystallizable Surfactants. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2024; 20:e2304746. [PMID: 37726236 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202304746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2023] [Revised: 08/19/2023] [Indexed: 09/21/2023]
Abstract
Highly anisotropic-shaped particles with well-ordered internal nanostructures have received significant attention due to their unique shape-dependent photonic, rheological, and electronic properties and packing structures. In this work, nanosheet particles with cylindrical block copolymer (BCP) arrays are achieved by utilizing collapsed emulsions as a scaffold for BCP self-assembly. Highly elongated structures with large surface areas are formed by employing crystallizable surfactants that significantly reduce the interfacial tension of BCP emulsions. Subsequently, the stabilized elongated emulsion structures lead to the formation of BCP nanosheets. Specifically, when polystyrene-block-polydimethylsiloxane (PS-b-PDMS) and 1-octadecanol (C18-OH) are co-assembled within an emulsion, C18-OH penetrates the surfactant layer at the emulsion interface, lowering the interfacial tension (i.e., below 1 mN m-1 ) and causing emulsion deformation. In addition, C18-OH crystallization allows for kinetic arrest of the collapsed emulsion shape during solvent evaporation. Consequently, PS-b-PDMS BCPs self-assemble into defect-free structures within nanosheet particles, exhibiting an exceptionally high aspect ratio of over 50. The particle formation mechanism is further investigated by controlling the alkyl chain length of the fatty alcohol. Finally, the coating behavior of nanosheet particles is investigated, revealing that the deposition pattern on a substrate is strongly influenced by the particle's shape anisotropy, thus highlighting their potential for advanced coating applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhengping Tan
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Juyoung Lee
- School of Energy and Chemical Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Ulsan, 44919, Republic of Korea
| | - Jinwoo Kim
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Kang Hee Ku
- School of Energy and Chemical Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Ulsan, 44919, Republic of Korea
| | - Bumjoon J Kim
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
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Blovský T, Šindelka K, Limpouchová Z, Procházka K. Self-Assembly of Symmetric Copolymers in Slits with Inert and Attractive Walls. Polymers (Basel) 2023; 15:4458. [PMID: 38006182 PMCID: PMC10675682 DOI: 10.3390/polym15224458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2023] [Revised: 11/01/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Although the behavior of the confined semi-dilute solutions of self-assembling copolymers represents an important topic of basic and applied research, it has eluded the interest of scientists. Extensive series of dissipative particle dynamics simulations have been performed on semi-dilute solutions of A5B5 chains in a selective solvent for A in slits using a DL-MESO simulation package. Simulations of corresponding bulk systems were performed for comparison. This study shows that the associates in the semi-dilute bulk solutions are partly structurally organized. Mild steric constraints in slits with non-attractive walls hardly affect the size of the associates, but they promote their structural arrangement in layers parallel to the slit walls. Attractive walls noticeably affect the association process. In slits with mildly attractive walls, the adsorption competes with the association process. At elevated concentrations, the associates start to form in wide slits when the walls are sparsely covered by separated associates, and the association process prevents the full coverage of the surface. In slits with strongly attractive walls, adsorption is the dominant behavior. The associates form in wide slits at elevated concentrations only after the walls are completely and continuously covered by the adsorbed chains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomáš Blovský
- The Department of Physical and Macromolecular Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Hlavova 2030, 128 40 Prague, Czech Republic;
| | - Karel Šindelka
- Department of Molecular and Mesoscopic Modelling, Institute of Chemical Process Fundamentals, Czech Academy of Sciences, Rozvojová 135, 165 02 Prague, Czech Republic;
| | - Zuzana Limpouchová
- The Department of Physical and Macromolecular Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Hlavova 2030, 128 40 Prague, Czech Republic;
| | - Karel Procházka
- The Department of Physical and Macromolecular Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Hlavova 2030, 128 40 Prague, Czech Republic;
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Esteki B, Masoomi M, Asadinezhad A. Tailored Morphology in Polystyrene/Poly(lactic acid) Blend Particles: Solvent's Effect on Controlled Janus/Core-Shell Structures. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2023; 39:15306-15318. [PMID: 37864780 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c02103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2023]
Abstract
Controlling the morphology of polymeric particles is vital for their diverse applications. In this study, we explored how solvent composition influences the morphology of poly(styrene)/poly(lactic acid) (PS/PLA) particles prepared via the emulsion solvent evaporation method. We used toluene, dichloromethane (DCM), and various mixtures to prepare these particles. We investigated phase separation within the PS/PLA/solvent system using the Flory-Huggins ternary phase diagram and MesoDyn simulation, revealing pronounced immiscibility and phase separation in both PS/PLA/DCM and PS/PLA/toluene systems. We employed scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) to characterize the resulting morphologies. Our study unveiled the substantial impact of solvent composition on particle structure. Using pure toluene resulted in acorn-shaped Janus particles. However, incorporating DCM into the solvent induced a transition from Janus to core-shell morphology. Remarkably, core-shell particles exhibited a single-core structure in a mixed toluene/DCM solvent, indicating thermodynamic stability. In contrast, pure DCM favored kinetically controlled multicore morphology, leading to lower PLA crystallinity due to increased PS-PLA interfaces. Samples with high Janus balance formed a self-assembled, two-dimensional (2-D) monolayer film, demonstrating the interfacial activity of the Janus particles. This 2-D monolayer film exhibits desirable emulsification properties with potential applications in various fields. Our study combines theoretical and experimental analyses, shedding light on the profound impact of solvent composition on the PS/PLA particle morphology. We observed transitions from Janus to core-shell structures, highlighted the influence of solvent viscosity on particle size, and uncovered the formation of self-assembled 2-D monolayer films. These insights are pivotal for tailoring polymeric particle structures. Furthermore, our findings advance macromolecular science in interface design, offering promising prospects for innovative materials development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bahareh Esteki
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan 84156-83111, Iran
| | - Mahmood Masoomi
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan 84156-83111, Iran
| | - Ahmad Asadinezhad
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan 84156-83111, Iran
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