Templated PISA: Driving Polymerization-Induced Self-Assembly towards Fibre Morphology

Area of Science:

• Polymer Chemistry
• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Block copolymer dispersions in water have diverse applications.
• Polymerization-induced self-assembly (PISA) is a method to create these structures.
• Current PISA methods for fiber formation are limited by strict experimental conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To expand the experimental window for producing block copolymer fibers via PISA.
• To introduce a supramolecular moiety to control nano-object morphology.
• To investigate the effect of hydrogen-bonded bis-urea stickers on fiber formation.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) mediated PISA.
• Incorporating a hydrogen-bonded bis-urea sticker into the RAFT agent.
• Synthesizing poly(N,N-dimethylacrylamide)-b-poly(2-methoxyethyl acrylate) (PDMAc-b-PMEA) diblock copolymers.
• Performing dispersion polymerization in water.

Main Results:

• The introduction of bis-urea stickers significantly promoted fiber morphology.
• Block copolymer fibers were successfully formed under a broader range of experimental conditions.
• The templating effect of bis-urea stickers was confirmed in PISA.

Conclusions:

• Hydrogen-bonded bis-urea stickers effectively template the formation of block copolymer fibers in RAFT-mediated PISA.
• This strategy broadens the applicability of PISA for synthesizing fiber-like nano-objects.
• The findings pave the way for more accessible production of functional block copolymer fibers.