Jove
Visualize
Contact Us

Related Experiment Videos

Hierarchical self-assembly in polymeric complexes: towards functional materials.

Olli Ikkala1, Gerrit ten Brinke

  • 1Department of Engineering Physics and Mathematics, and Center for New Materials, Helsinki University of Technology, P.O. Box 2200, FIN-02015 HUT, Espoo, Finland. Olli.Ikkala@hut.fi

Chemical Communications (Cambridge, England)
|October 7, 2004
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Bioinspired Sensory Transduction for Magnetic Profile Recognition and Encryption.

Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)·2026
Same author

Polyzwitterionic Organohydrogel and Soft Composite with Tunable Sol-Gel Properties Enabling On-Demand Functionalization with Colloids.

Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany)·2025
Same author

Stretch to scatter: mechanically tunable haze in silica nanofibers - polymer composite films.

Journal of colloid and interface science·2025
Same author

Nanofibrillar Cellulose Hydrogels with Anionic Surface Modifications for Modulating Macrophage Phenotype in 3D Culture.

ACS applied materials & interfaces·2025
Same author

Bioinspired nondissipative mechanical energy storage and release in hydrogels via hierarchical sequentially swollen stretched chains.

Nature communications·2025
Same author

Tunable mechanical properties and phase transitions in nanoconfined polyzwitterionic UCST hydrogels.

Soft matter·2025
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Hierarchical structures are built by combining self-assembly at multiple length scales. This enables the creation of advanced nanostructured materials with tunable properties like conductivity and optical responses.

Area of Science:

  • Supramolecular Chemistry
  • Materials Science
  • Nanotechnology

Background:

  • Self-assembly is a fundamental process for creating ordered structures.
  • Hierarchical structures, assembled across multiple length scales, offer advanced functionalities.
  • Existing methods often focus on single length scales of self-assembly.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the combination of self-assembly at different length scales for creating structural hierarchies.
  • To investigate the potential of these hierarchies for developing nanostructured matter and responsive materials.
  • To demonstrate the versatility of combining supramolecular complexes, block copolymers, and colloidal particles.

Main Methods:

  • Complexation of oligomeric amphiphiles with polymers via ionic interactions, coordination, or hydrogen bonding.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Utilizing block copolymers for self-assembly at larger length scales.
  • Integrating colloidal particles for self-assembly at even larger length scales.

    • Main Results:

    • Successfully created polymeric comb-shaped supramolecules self-assembling at the nanometer scale.
    • Demonstrated the formation of structural hierarchies by combining supramolecular complexes and block copolymers.
    • Showcased the ability of these hierarchical structures to serve as templates for mesoporous materials and nano-objects.
    • Observed switching of conductivity and optical properties in the self-assembled structures.
    • Extended hierarchical assembly to include polymeric rods and colloidal particles.

    Conclusions:

    • Combining self-assembly across multiple length scales is a powerful strategy for building complex structural hierarchies.
    • These hierarchical materials exhibit tunable properties and potential applications in nanotechnology, such as templating and responsive systems.
    • The integration of supramolecular chemistry, block copolymers, and colloidal assembly opens new avenues for designing advanced functional materials.