Abstract
Block copolymers composed of a hydrophilic and a hydrophobic segment self-assemble in water into nanoparticles with sizes and shapes that depend on the nature and length of each segment. Accordingly, it is possible to control the assembly process to generate various nanomaterials, such as spherical micelles, worm-like micelles, or vesicles. We developed a method to directly synthesize block copolymers inside the liquid cell of an electron microscope, providing unprecedented real-time insight into the progression and evolution of polymerization and self-assembly processes.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 722-736 |
Number of pages | 15 |
Journal | Matter |
Volume | 4 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Feb 3 2021 |
Funding
This research was conducted with Government support under and awarded to N.C.G. and B.S.S. by DoD through the ARO ( W911NF-17-1-0326 ) and a National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship, 32 CFR 168a , awarded to M.A.T. In addition, the authors thank the National Science Foundation for support of this work through CHE-1905270. The authors thank Dr. Chris Forman for his assistance with the design of the graphical content.
Keywords
- MAP2: Benchmark
- PISA
- RAFT polymerization
- TEM
- block copolymer
- liquid cell
- liquid phase
- polymerization-induced self-assembly
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Materials Science