Self-Assembly Behaviors of Telechelic Poly(styrene-ran-sodium styrenesulfonate) with Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane as End Groups

Synthesis and hierarchical self-assembly of luminescent platinum(ii)-containing telechelic metallopolymers

Luminescent telechelic metallopolymers functionalized with platinum(ii) complexes can self-assemble into flowerlike micelles, and the resulting flowers can further form vesicle-like architectures in solution.

Computer simulation study on the self-assembly of tethered nanoparticles with tunable shapes

We built a tethered nanoparticle (TNP) model that is composed of a nanoparticle with a hydrophobic tethered polymer chain. The shape of the nanoparticle can be tuned from a pure rigid cube to a soft sphere, mimicking the increase of grafting density on the nanocube surfaces. With this model, we study the self-assembly of TNPs in dilute solution using a dissipative particle dynamics simulation technique, and especially focus on the influence of particle shape, tethered chain length, and grafting density on the self-assembly structures. Some intriguing aggregates such as spherical micelles, pearl-necklace-like structures, cubic columnar structures, handshake structures, core–shell–corona micelles, and four-patch micelles have been observed when varying the interactions between cubes and solvents and the lengths of tethered chain. Modifying the nanocube surface with some hydrophilic grafted chains helps the TNPs form small micelles. Increased steric repulsion due to chain overlapping at larger grafting densities results in shape transformation of the nanoparticle from a rigid cube to a soft sphere. In these cases, the self-assembled structures are characterized by the packing of nanoparticles on the micelle surface, and the typical packing mode turns from rectangular (typical for cubes) to hexagonal (typical for spheres).

The self-assembled structures are characterized by the packing of nanoparticles on the micelle surface, and the typical packing mode turns from rectangular (typical for cubes) to hexagonal (typical for spheres).

Telechelic amphiphilic metallopolymers end-functionalized with platinum(ii) complexes: synthesis, luminescence enhancement, and their self-assembly into flowerlike vesicles and giant flowerlike vesicles

Telechelic amphiphilic metallopolymers can self-assemble in solution to create nanosized flowerlike vesicles, where the two platinum(ii) complex ends are connected to the same vesicular core and the central PEG chains form loops as a corona.

One-pot synthesis of well-defined amphiphilic alternating copolymer brushes based on POSS and their self-assembly in aqueous solution

The amphiphilic alternating copolymer brushes P(MIPOSS-alt-VBPEG) with a sequence of alternating MIPOSS and polyethylene glycol (PEG) side chains were synthesized via RAFT polymerization, and they could form spherical aggregates.

Organic-inorganic random copolymers from methacrylate-terminated poly(ethylene oxide) with 3-methacryloxypropylheptaphenyl polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane: synthesis via RAFT polymerization and self-assembly behavior

In this contribution, we report the synthesis of organic-inorganic random polymers from methacrylate-terminated poly(ethylene oxide) (MAPEO) (Mn = 950) and 3-methacryloxypropylheptaphenyl polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (MAPOSS) macromers via reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization with 4-cyano-4-(thiobenzoylthio) valeric acid (CTBTVA) as the chain transfer agent. The organic-inorganic random copolymers were characterized by means of (1)H NMR spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The results of GPC indicate that the polymerizations were carried out in a controlled fashion. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed that the organic-inorganic random copolymers in bulk were microphase-separated and the POSS microdomains were formed via POSS-POSS interactions. In aqueous solutions the organic-inorganic random copolymers were capable of self-assembling into spherical nanoobjects as evidenced by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and dynamic laser scattering (DLS). The self-assembly behavior of the organic-inorganic random copolymers was also found to occur in the mixtures with the precursors of epoxy. The nanostructures were further fixed via subsequent curing reaction and thus the organic-inorganic nanocomposites were obtained. The formation of nanophases in epoxy thermosets was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA). The organic-inorganic nanocomposites displayed the enhanced surface hydrophobicity as evidenced by surface contact angle measurements.

Hierarchical self-assembly of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane end-capped stimuli-responsive polymer: from single micelle to complex micelle

Responsive polymeric micelles have been widely studied because of their potential use in nanocontainers and nanocarriers. In this study, polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) end-capped poly[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate] (POSS-PDMAEMA), a stimuli-responsive organic-inorganic hybrid polymer, was synthesized via atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) using POSS-Br as a macroinitiator. The self-assembly behaviors of POSS-PDMAEMA in aqueous solution were studied by fluorescence probe, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results revealed two self-assembly processes of POSS-PDMAEMA. First they self-assembled into a single micelle with the POSS molecules forming a crystal core and the PDMAEMA chains stretching as a corona. Then the single micelles, as building blocks, were able to reversibly form a hierarchical micelle-on-micelle structure (complex micelle) under external stimuli.