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Liu L, Meng X, Li M, Chu Z, Tong Z. Regulation of Two-Dimensional Platelet Micelles with Tunable Core Composition Distribution via Coassembly Seeded Growth Approach. ACS Macro Lett 2024; 13:542-549. [PMID: 38629823 DOI: 10.1021/acsmacrolett.4c00124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
Seeded growth termed "living" crystallization-driven self-assembly (CDSA) has been identified as a powerful method to create one- or two-dimensional nanoparticles. Epitaxial crystallization is usually regarded as the growth mechanism for the formation of uniform micelles. From this perspective, the unimer depositing rate is largely related to the crystallization temperature, which is a key factor to determine the crystallization rate and regulate the core composition distribution among nanoparticles. In the present work, the coassembly of two distinct crystallizable polymers is explored in detail in a one-pot seeded growth protocol. Results have shown that polylactone containing a larger number of methylene groups (-CH2-) in their repeating units such as poly(η-octalactone) (POL) has a faster crystallization rate compared to poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) with a smaller number of -CH2- at ambient temperature (25 °C), thus a block or blocky platelet structure with heterogeneous composition distribution is formed. In contrast, when the crystallization temperature decreases to 4 °C, the difference of crystallization rate between both cores become negligible. Consequently, a completely random component distribution within 2D platelets is observed. Moreover, we also reveal that the core component of seed micelles is also paramount for the coassembly seeded growth, and a unique structure of flower-like platelet micelle is created from the coassembly of PCL/POL using POL core-forming seeds. This study on the formation of platelet micelles by one-pot seeded growth using two crystallizable components offers a considerable scope for the design of 2D polymer nanomaterials with a controlled core component distribution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liping Liu
- School of Materials Science and Engineering and Institute of Smart Biomaterials, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, P. R. China
| | - Xiancheng Meng
- School of Materials Science and Engineering and Institute of Smart Biomaterials, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, P. R. China
| | - Meili Li
- School of Materials Science and Engineering and Institute of Smart Biomaterials, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, P. R. China
| | - Zhenyan Chu
- School of Materials Science and Engineering and Institute of Smart Biomaterials, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, P. R. China
| | - Zaizai Tong
- School of Materials Science and Engineering and Institute of Smart Biomaterials, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, P. R. China
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2
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Jiang J, Nikbin E, Hicks G, Song S, Liu Y, Wong ECN, Manners I, Howe JY, Winnik MA. Polyferrocenylsilane Block Copolymer Spherulites in Dilute Solution. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:1247-1261. [PMID: 36598864 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c11119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Self-assembly of block copolymers (BCP) into uniform 3D structures in solution is an extremely rare phenomenon. Furthermore, the investigation of general prerequisites for fabricating a specific uniform 3D structure remains unknown and challenging. Here, through a simple one-pot direct self-assembly (heating and cooling) protocol, we show that uniform spherulite-like structures and their precursors can be prepared with various poly(ferrocenyldimethylsilane) (PFS) BCPs in a variety of polar and non-polar solvents. These structures all evolve from elongated lamellae into hedrites, sheaf-like micelles, and finally spherulites as the annealing temperature and supersaturation degree are increased. The key feature leading to this growth trajectory is the formation of secondary crystals by self-nucleation on the surface of early-elongated lamellae. We identified general prerequisites for fabricating PFS BCP spherulites in solution. These include corona/PFS core block ratios in the range of 1-5.5 that favor the formation of 2D structures as well as the development of secondary crystals on the basal faces of platelets at early stages of the self-assembly. The one-pot direct self-assembly provides a general protocol to form uniform spherulites and their precursors consisting of PFS BCPs that match these prerequisites. In addition, we show that manipulation of various steps in the direct self-assembly protocol can regulate the size and shape of the structures formed. These general concepts show promise for the fabrication and optimization of spherulites and their precursors from semicrystalline BCPs with interesting optical, electronic, or biomedical properties using the one-pot direct self-assembly protocol.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingjie Jiang
- Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3H6, Canada
| | - Ehsan Nikbin
- Department of Material Science and Engineering, University of Toronto, 184 College Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3E4, Canada
| | - Garion Hicks
- Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3H6, Canada
| | - Shaofei Song
- Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3H6, Canada
| | - Yang Liu
- Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3H6, Canada
| | - Edmond C N Wong
- Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3H6, Canada
| | - Ian Manners
- Department of Chemistry, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia V8W 3V6, Canada
| | - Jane Y Howe
- Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3H6, Canada.,Department of Material Science and Engineering, University of Toronto, 184 College Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3E4, Canada.,Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3E2, Canada
| | - Mitchell A Winnik
- Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3H6, Canada.,Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3E2, Canada
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3
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Deng R, Mao X, Pearce S, Tian J, Zhang Y, Manners I. Role of Competitive Crystallization Kinetics in the Formation of 2D Platelets with Distinct Coronal Surface Patterns via Seeded Growth. J Am Chem Soc 2022; 144:19051-19059. [PMID: 36201750 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c07962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Low dispersity 2D platelet micelles with controllable surface patterns were prepared by seeded-growth/living crystallization-driven self-assembly (CDSA) of block copolymer/homopolymer (BCP/HP) blends of poly(ferrocenyldimethylsilane)-b-poly(2-vinyl pyridine) (PFS-b-P2VP) and PFS. The precise morphology was found to be dependent on the proportion of the P2VP corona block, which can be efficiently controlled by changing the molar concentration ratio of PFS-b-P2VP/PFS, (cB/cH)t, as well as their relative rates of crystallization, (GB/GH)t. In the case where their molar concentration ratio was comparable to their crystallization rate ratio, platelets with a uniform distribution of P2VP coronal chains were formed. In other cases, as the concentration ratio increased (or decreased) during the living CDSA process, hierarchical structures were formed, including chain-like assemblies consisting of end-to-end linked rectangular platelets and fusiform (tapered) micelles. (GB/GH)t was adjusted by tuning the degree of polymerization of the crystallizable PFS core-forming block and the BCP block ratio and by varying the terminus of the HP or changing the solvent used. Furthermore, the open edge of the platelets remained active for further growth, which permitted control of the morphology and dimensions of the platelets. Interestingly, in cases where the molar concentration ratio was lower than the crystallization rate ratio, growth rings were observed after two or more living CDSA steps. This study on the formation of platelet micelles by living CDSA of BCP/HP blends under kinetic control offers a considerable scope for the design of 2D polymer nanomaterials with controlled shape and surface patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renhua Deng
- School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TS, U.K.,Key Laboratory of Material Chemistry for Energy Conversion and Storage of Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Xi Mao
- Key Laboratory of Material Chemistry for Energy Conversion and Storage of Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Samuel Pearce
- School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TS, U.K
| | - Jia Tian
- School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TS, U.K
| | - Yifan Zhang
- School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TS, U.K
| | - Ian Manners
- School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TS, U.K.,Department of Chemistry, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia V8W 3V6, Canada.,Centre for Advanced Materials and Related Technology (CAMTEC), University of Victoria, 3800 Finnerty Road, Victoria, British Columbia V8P 5C2, Canada
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4
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Han XG, Sun ZH, Liang N, Zhang H. Aggregate behavior in amphiphilic coil/rod block copolymer solutions. Chem Phys 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.chemphys.2022.111663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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5
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Yang C, Li Z, Xu J. Single crystals and two‐dimensional crystalline assemblies of block copolymers. JOURNAL OF POLYMER SCIENCE 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/pol.20210866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Chen Yang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Synthesis and Functionalization, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering Zhejiang University Hangzhou China
| | - Zi‐Xian Li
- MOE Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Synthesis and Functionalization, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering Zhejiang University Hangzhou China
| | - Jun‐Ting Xu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Synthesis and Functionalization, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering Zhejiang University Hangzhou China
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Ding J, Tang J, Cai C, Cao D, Rao W, Guo W, Yu L. Coordination Strategy to Achieve Instant Dissolution of a Biomedical Polymer in Water via Manual Shaking. Biomater Sci 2022; 10:4561-4575. [DOI: 10.1039/d2bm00814a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Organic polymers with condensed long chains are kinetically slow to be dissolved in their solvents, particularly in water, which has significantly hindered their potential applications as soon as an instant...
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Ma J, Lu G, Huang X, Feng C. π-Conjugated-polymer-based nanofibers through living crystallization-driven self-assembly: preparation, properties and applications. Chem Commun (Camb) 2021; 57:13259-13274. [PMID: 34816824 DOI: 10.1039/d1cc04825b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
π-Conjugated-polymer-based nanofibers (CPNFs) of controlled length, composition and morphology are promising for a broad range of emerging applications in optoelectronics, biomedicine and catalysis, owing to the morphological merits of fiber-like nanostructures and structural attributes of π-conjugated polymers. Living crystallization-driven self-assembly (CDSA) of π-conjugated-polymer-containing block copolymers (BCPs) has emerged as an efficient strategy to prepare CPNFs with precise dimensional and structural controllability by taking advantage of the crystallinity of π-conjugated polymers. In this review, recent advances in the generation of CPNFs have been highlighted. The influence of the structure of π-conjugated-polymer-containing BCPs and experimental conditions on the CDSA behaviors, especially seeded growth and self-seeding processes of living CDSA, has been discussed in detail, aiming to provide an in-depth overview of living CDSA of π-conjugated-polymer-containing BCPs. In addition, the properties of CPNFs as well as their potential applications have been illustrated. Finally, we put forward the current challenges and research directions in the field of CPNFs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junyu Ma
- Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Self-Assembly Chemistry for Organic Functional Molecules, Center for Excellence in Molecular Synthesis, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 345 Lingling Road, Shanghai 200032, People's Republic of China.
| | - Guolin Lu
- Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Self-Assembly Chemistry for Organic Functional Molecules, Center for Excellence in Molecular Synthesis, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 345 Lingling Road, Shanghai 200032, People's Republic of China.
| | - Xiaoyu Huang
- Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Self-Assembly Chemistry for Organic Functional Molecules, Center for Excellence in Molecular Synthesis, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 345 Lingling Road, Shanghai 200032, People's Republic of China.
| | - Chun Feng
- Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Self-Assembly Chemistry for Organic Functional Molecules, Center for Excellence in Molecular Synthesis, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 345 Lingling Road, Shanghai 200032, People's Republic of China.
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8
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Guerin G, Rupar PA, Winnik MA. In-Depth Analysis of the Effect of Fragmentation on the Crystallization-Driven Self-Assembly Growth Kinetics of 1D Micelles Studied by Seed Trapping. Polymers (Basel) 2021; 13:3122. [PMID: 34578023 PMCID: PMC8472273 DOI: 10.3390/polym13183122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2021] [Revised: 09/08/2021] [Accepted: 09/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Studying the growth of 1D structures formed by the self-assembly of crystalline-coil block copolymers in solution at elevated temperatures is a challenging task. Like most 1D fibril structures, they fragment and dissolve when the solution is heated, creating a mixture of surviving crystallites and free polymer chains. However, unlike protein fibrils, no new nuclei are formed upon cooling and only the surviving crystallites regrow. Here, we report how trapping these crystallites at elevated temperatures allowed us to study their growth kinetics at different annealing times and for different amounts of unimer added. We developed a model describing the growth kinetics of these crystallites that accounts for fragmentation accompanying the 1D growth process. We show that the growth kinetics follow a stretched exponential law that may be due to polymer fractionation. In addition, by evaluating the micelle growth rate as a function of the concentration of unimer present in solution, we could conclude that the micelle growth occurred in the mononucleation regime.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerald Guerin
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Advanced Polymeric Materials, Key Laboratory for Ultrafine Materials of Ministry of Education, School of Materials Science and Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
- Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, 80 St. George Street, Toronto, ON M5S 3H6, Canada
| | - Paul A. Rupar
- Department of Chemistry, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487, USA;
| | - Mitchell A. Winnik
- Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, 80 St. George Street, Toronto, ON M5S 3H6, Canada
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3E2, Canada
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9
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Wang Z, Ma C, Huang X, Lu G, Winnik MA, Feng C. Self-Seeding of Oligo( p-phenylenevinylene)- b-poly(2-vinylpyridine) Micelles: Effect of Metal Ions. Macromolecules 2021. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.1c00965] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Zhiqin Wang
- Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Self-Assembly Chemistry for Organic Functional Molecules, Center for Excellence in Molecular Synthesis, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 345 Lingling Road, Shanghai 200032, People’s Republic of China
| | - Chen Ma
- Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Self-Assembly Chemistry for Organic Functional Molecules, Center for Excellence in Molecular Synthesis, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 345 Lingling Road, Shanghai 200032, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xiaoyu Huang
- Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Self-Assembly Chemistry for Organic Functional Molecules, Center for Excellence in Molecular Synthesis, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 345 Lingling Road, Shanghai 200032, People’s Republic of China
| | - Guolin Lu
- Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Self-Assembly Chemistry for Organic Functional Molecules, Center for Excellence in Molecular Synthesis, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 345 Lingling Road, Shanghai 200032, People’s Republic of China
| | - Mitchell A. Winnik
- Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, 80 St. George Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3H6, Canada
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3E2, Canada
| | - Chun Feng
- Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Self-Assembly Chemistry for Organic Functional Molecules, Center for Excellence in Molecular Synthesis, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 345 Lingling Road, Shanghai 200032, People’s Republic of China
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10
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MacFarlane L, Zhao C, Cai J, Qiu H, Manners I. Emerging applications for living crystallization-driven self-assembly. Chem Sci 2021; 12:4661-4682. [PMID: 34163727 PMCID: PMC8179577 DOI: 10.1039/d0sc06878k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 103] [Impact Index Per Article: 34.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2020] [Accepted: 02/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The use of crystallization as a tool to control the self-assembly of polymeric and molecular amphiphiles in solution is attracting growing attention for the creation of non-spherical nanoparticles and more complex, hierarchical assemblies. In particular, the seeded growth method termed living crystallization-driven self-assembly (CDSA) has been established as an ambient temperature and potentially scalable platform for the preparation of low dispersity samples of core-shell fiber-like or platelet micellar nanoparticles. Significantly, this method permits predictable control of size, and access to branched and segmented structures where functionality is spatially-defined. Living CDSA operates under kinetic control and shows many analogies with living chain-growth polymerizations of molecular organic monomers that afford well-defined covalent polymers of controlled length except that it covers a much longer length scale (ca. 20 nm to 10 μm). The method has been applied to a rapidly expanding range of crystallizable polymeric amphiphiles, which includes block copolymers and charge-capped homopolymers, to form assemblies with crystalline cores and solvated coronas. Living CDSA seeded growth methods have also been transposed to a wide variety of π-stacking and hydrogen-bonding molecular species that form supramolecular polymers in processes termed "living supramolecular polymerizations". In this article we outline the main features of the living CDSA method and then survey the promising emerging applications for the resulting nanoparticles in fields such as nanomedicine, colloid stabilization, catalysis, optoelectronics, information storage, and surface functionalization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liam MacFarlane
- Department of Chemistry, University of Victoria British Columbia Canada
| | - Chuanqi Zhao
- Department of Chemistry, University of Victoria British Columbia Canada
| | - Jiandong Cai
- Department of Chemistry, University of Victoria British Columbia Canada
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Shanghai 200240 China
| | - Huibin Qiu
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Shanghai 200240 China
| | - Ian Manners
- Department of Chemistry, University of Victoria British Columbia Canada
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Song S, Zhou H, Puzhitsky M, Zhang Y, Hicks G, Lu Y, Manners I, Winnik MA. Crystallization-Driven Self-Assembly of a Block Copolymer with Amphiphilic Pendant Groups. Macromolecules 2021. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.0c02521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Shaofei Song
- Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3H6, Canada
| | - Hang Zhou
- Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3H6, Canada
| | - Matthew Puzhitsky
- Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3H6, Canada
| | - Yefeng Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3H6, Canada
| | - Garion Hicks
- Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3H6, Canada
| | - Yijie Lu
- Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3H6, Canada
| | - Ian Manners
- Department of Chemistry, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia V8W 3V6, Canada
| | - Mitchell A. Winnik
- Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3H6, Canada
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3E2, Canada
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