Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
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

Related Concept Videos

Solution Equilibrium and Saturation01:59

Solution Equilibrium and Saturation

21.9K
Imagine adding a small amount of sugar to a glass of water, stirring until all the sugar has dissolved, and then adding a bit more. You can repeat this process until the sugar concentration of the solution reaches its natural limit, a limit determined primarily by the relative strengths of the solute-solute, solute-solvent, and solvent-solvent attractive forces. You can be certain that you have reached this limit because, no matter how long you stir the solution, undissolved sugar remains. The...
21.9K
Characteristics and Nomenclature of Copolymers01:24

Characteristics and Nomenclature of Copolymers

3.3K
Copolymers are the products obtained from the polymerization of multiple monomer species. So, in a polymer chain itself, there can be multiple repeating units that come from different monomers. The process of synthesizing a polymer from different monomer species is called copolymerization. When two monomers are involved, the polymer is known as a bipolymer. Polymers with three and four monomers are termed terpolymers and quaterpolymers, respectively. Figure 1 depicts the copolymerization of...
3.3K
Intermolecular Forces in Solutions02:28

Intermolecular Forces in Solutions

39.5K
The formation of a solution is an example of a spontaneous process, a process that occurs under specified conditions without energy from some external source.
When the strengths of the intermolecular forces of attraction between solute and solvent species in a solution are no different than those present in the separated components, the solution is formed with no accompanying energy change. Such a solution is called an ideal solution. A mixture of ideal gases (or gases such as helium and argon,...
39.5K
Ionic Crystal Structures02:42

Ionic Crystal Structures

17.0K
Ionic crystals consist of two or more different kinds of ions that usually have different sizes. The packing of these ions into a crystal structure is more complex than the packing of metal atoms that are the same size.
Most monatomic ions behave as charged spheres, and their attraction for ions of opposite charge is the same in every direction. Consequently, stable structures for ionic compounds result (1) when ions of one charge are surrounded by as many ions as possible of the opposite...
17.0K
Crystal Field Theory - Octahedral Complexes02:58

Crystal Field Theory - Octahedral Complexes

30.8K
Crystal Field Theory
To explain the observed behavior of transition metal complexes (such as colors), a model involving electrostatic interactions between the electrons from the ligands and the electrons in the unhybridized d orbitals of the central metal atom has been developed. This electrostatic model is crystal field theory (CFT). It helps to understand, interpret, and predict the colors, magnetic behavior, and some structures of coordination compounds of transition metals.
CFT focuses on...
30.8K
Crystal Growth: Principles of Crystallization01:25

Crystal Growth: Principles of Crystallization

5.0K
Crystallization is a phase transformation process in which crystals are precipitated from a supersaturated solution or formed from other sources. During crystallization, atoms or molecules arrange themselves into a well-defined, rigid crystal lattice to minimize energy.
Initiating crystallization involves manipulating the concentration of the solute and the temperature of the solution. Since crystal growth occurs when the ratio of concentration and solubility of the solute in the solvent...
5.0K

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Noble-metal-free π-stacked metal-organic nanosheets featuring unidirectional electron transport channels for highly efficient electrocatalytic CO<sub>2</sub> reduction.

Chemical science·2026
Same author

Fibrillar Hydrogel Derived from Nanocellulose and a Synthetic Polypeptide.

Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids·2026
Same author

Programming Crystal Thickness by Precision Chain Folding in Architecturally Designed Polymers.

Journal of the American Chemical Society·2026
Same author

Effect of Solvent Polarity on the Photo-Induced Polymerization-Induced Self-Assembly of Poly(<i>tert</i>-butyl acrylate)-<i>block</i>-Polystyrene near Room Temperature.

Polymers·2026
Same author

Synthesis and Ring-Opening Polymerization of Antimony(III)-Bridged [1]Ferrocenophanes.

Inorganic chemistry·2026
Same author

Efficient Dual Surface Modification of Cellulose Nanocrystals with Hydrophobic Moieties and Functional Polymers via a Grafting-to Approach.

Biomacromolecules·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 3, 2026

Synthesis of Monodisperse Cylindrical Nanoparticles via Crystallization-driven Self-assembly of Biodegradable Block Copolymers
11:42

Synthesis of Monodisperse Cylindrical Nanoparticles via Crystallization-driven Self-assembly of Biodegradable Block Copolymers

Published on: June 20, 2019

8.3K

Creating Biomorphic Barbed and Branched Mesostructures in Solution through Block Copolymer Crystallization.

Lin Jia1,2, Gerald Guerin1, Yijie Lu1

  • 1Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, 80 St. George Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3H6, Canada.

Angewandte Chemie (International Ed. in English)
|October 26, 2018
PubMed
Summary

Researchers created branched and barbed nanoscale structures using poly(ferrocenyldimethylsilane)-block-polyisoprene (PFS-b-PI) copolymers. These biomorphic shapes mimic natural forms and their morphology depends on solvent conditions.

Keywords:
biomorphismcrystallization-driven self-assemblymorphology transformationsolvent mixturessupermicelles

More Related Videos

Anionic Polymerization of an Amphiphilic Copolymer for Preparation of Block Copolymer Micelles Stabilized by &#960;-&#960; Stacking Interactions
10:53

Anionic Polymerization of an Amphiphilic Copolymer for Preparation of Block Copolymer Micelles Stabilized by π-π Stacking Interactions

Published on: October 10, 2016

14.6K
Methionine Functionalized Biocompatible Block Copolymers for Targeted Plasmid DNA Delivery
08:09

Methionine Functionalized Biocompatible Block Copolymers for Targeted Plasmid DNA Delivery

Published on: August 6, 2019

6.2K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Feb 3, 2026

Synthesis of Monodisperse Cylindrical Nanoparticles via Crystallization-driven Self-assembly of Biodegradable Block Copolymers
11:42

Synthesis of Monodisperse Cylindrical Nanoparticles via Crystallization-driven Self-assembly of Biodegradable Block Copolymers

Published on: June 20, 2019

8.3K
Anionic Polymerization of an Amphiphilic Copolymer for Preparation of Block Copolymer Micelles Stabilized by &#960;-&#960; Stacking Interactions
10:53

Anionic Polymerization of an Amphiphilic Copolymer for Preparation of Block Copolymer Micelles Stabilized by π-π Stacking Interactions

Published on: October 10, 2016

14.6K
Methionine Functionalized Biocompatible Block Copolymers for Targeted Plasmid DNA Delivery
08:09

Methionine Functionalized Biocompatible Block Copolymers for Targeted Plasmid DNA Delivery

Published on: August 6, 2019

6.2K

Area of Science:

  • Materials Science
  • Polymer Chemistry
  • Nanotechnology

Background:

  • Branched and barbed structures are prevalent in nature, yet challenging to replicate using bottom-up self-assembly at the nanoscale.
  • Natural biomorphic objects exhibit morphological diversity despite shared characteristics.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the self-assembly of poly(ferrocenyldimethylsilane)-block-polyisoprene (PFS-b-PI) diblock copolymers.
  • To generate nanoscale structures with biomorphic shapes, mimicking natural forms.
  • To explore the influence of solvent conditions on the resulting morphologies.

Main Methods:

  • Synthesis of poly(ferrocenyldimethylsilane)-block-polyisoprene (PFS-b-PI) diblock copolymers.
  • Self-assembly of copolymers in decane to form fiber-like micelles.
  • Controlled injection of concentrated THF solutions into THF/decane mixtures to induce morphological changes.
  • Evaporation of THF to observe structural transformations.

Main Results:

  • Copolymers consistently formed uniform fiber-like micelles with a crystalline PFS core in decane.
  • Self-assembly in THF/decane mixtures resulted in barbed and branched mesostructures.
  • The specific morphology of these biomorphic structures was tunable by adjusting the final THF concentration.
  • Evaporation of THF from colloidal suspensions led to elongated fiber-like structures.

Conclusions:

  • Poly(ferrocenyldimethylsilane)-block-polyisoprene (PFS-b-PI) diblock copolymers can self-assemble into complex biomorphic shapes.
  • Solvent composition plays a critical role in directing the formation of branched and barbed nanostructures.
  • This work provides a method for creating nature-inspired nanoscale architectures with tunable morphologies.