Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 31, 2026
09:24
Micropunching Lithography for Generating Micro- and Submicron-patterns on Polymer Substrates
Published on: July 2, 2012
15.7K
Helicoidal Patterning of Nanorods with Polymer Ligands
Elizabeth Galati1, Huachen Tao1, Moritz Tebbe1
1Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3H6, Canada.
Angewandte Chemie (International Ed. in English)
|January 4, 2019
Summary
Researchers discovered a new way to create chiral patterns on nanoparticle surfaces using polymer ligands under specific conditions. This controlled organization opens doors for novel nanoparticle interactions and self-assembly.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Polymer Chemistry
Background:
- Chiral ligand packing on nanoparticle surfaces is crucial for their interactions.
- Understanding nanoparticle surface morphology is key to controlling their behavior.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate a novel mechanism for chiral surface patterning on gold nanorods (NRs) using nonchiral polymer ligands.
- To explore the influence of polymer grafting density and ligand dimensions on surface morphology.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing poor solvency conditions to induce polymer layer segregation.
- Characterizing polymer surface structures (micelles, patches) using theoretical and experimental state diagrams.
- Analyzing the impact of polymer grafting density and ligand length-to-radius ratio.
Main Results:
- Observed segregation of polymer layers into helicoidally organized surface-pinned micelles under specific conditions.
- Identified parameter spaces dictating helicoidal morphology, including polymer grafting density and ligand dimensions.
- Documented diverse surface structures like random, shish-kebab, and hybrid patches outside the helicoidal parameter space.
Conclusions:
- Established a new mechanism for chiral surface patterning on nanoparticles.
- Demonstrated the potential of helicoidally organized polymer patches as templates for other nanoparticles.
- Highlighted applications in masked synthesis and novel nanoparticle self-assembly modes.
Related Concept Videos
02:34Polymers
40.8K
The word polymer is derived from the Greek words “poly” which means “many” and “mer” which means “parts”. Polymers are long chains of molecules composed of repeating units of smaller molecules, known as monomers. They either occur naturally, such as DNA and proteins, or can be constructed synthetically, like plastics. They have varied structural characteristics, such as linear chains, branched chains, or complex networks, that contribute to the...
40.8K
02:34Polymers
23.3K
23.3K
02:40Ligand Binding Sites
15.0K
Proteins are dynamic macromolecules that carry out a wide variety of essential processes; however, the activities of most proteins depend on their interactions with other molecules or ions, known as ligands.
Protein-ligand interactions are quite specific; even though numerous potential ligands surround a cellular protein at any given time, only a particular ligand can bind to that protein. Moreover, a ligand binds only to a dedicated area on the surface of the protein, known as the...
Protein-ligand interactions are quite specific; even though numerous potential ligands surround a cellular protein at any given time, only a particular ligand can bind to that protein. Moreover, a ligand binds only to a dedicated area on the surface of the protein, known as the...
15.0K
02:40Ligand Binding Sites
8.8K
8.8K
02:51Metal-Ligand Bonds
24.3K
The hemoglobin in the blood, the chlorophyll in green plants, vitamin B-12, and the catalyst used in the manufacture of polyethylene all contain coordination compounds. Ions of the metals, especially the transition metals, are likely to form complexes.
In these complexes, transition metals form coordinate covalent bonds, a kind of Lewis acid-base interaction in which both of the electrons in the bond are contributed by a donor (Lewis base) to an electron acceptor (Lewis acid). The Lewis acid in...
In these complexes, transition metals form coordinate covalent bonds, a kind of Lewis acid-base interaction in which both of the electrons in the bond are contributed by a donor (Lewis base) to an electron acceptor (Lewis acid). The Lewis acid in...
24.3K
00:49Ligand Binding and Linkage
5.6K
Allosteric proteins have more than one ligand binding site; the binding of a ligand to any of these sites influences the binding of ligands to the other sites. When a protein is allosteric, its binding sites are called coupled or linked. In the case of enzymes, the site that binds to the substrate is known as the active site and the other site is known as the regulatory site. When a ligand binds to the regulatory site, this leads to conformational changes in the protein that can influence...
5.6K