Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 28, 2025

Synthesis of Monodisperse Cylindrical Nanoparticles via Crystallization-driven Self-assembly of Biodegradable Block Copolymers
Published on: June 20, 2019
Main Chain-Type Block Copolymers through Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization from Double-Decker-Shaped Polyhedral
Wei-Cheng Chen1, Yu-Hsuan Tsao1, Chih-Feng Wang2
1Department of Materials and Optoelectronic Science, Center of Crystal Research, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung 80424, Taiwan.
Abstract:
In this study, we synthesized two main chain-type block copolymers featuring hydrogen bond donor and acceptor segments through atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) using a bifunctionalized polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) nanoparticle as the initiator. Hydrosilylation of vinylbenzyl chloride at the two corners of a double-decker silsesquioxane (DDSQ) provided the bifunctionalized benzyl chloride initiator VBC-DDSQ-VBC, which we applied as a platform to prepare a main chain-type polystyrene homopolymer (PS-DDSQ-PS), the diblock copolymer poly(styrene-b-4-vinylpyridine) (P4VP-b-PS-DDSQ-PS-b-P4VP), and the diblock copolymer poly(styrene-b-tert-butoxystyrene) (PtBuOS-b-PS-DDSQ-PS-b-PtBuOS) through sequential ATRP. Selective hydrolysis of the tert-butoxyl units of PtBuOS-b-PS-DDSQ-PS-b-PtBuOS yielded the strongly hydrogen bonding diblock copolymer poly (styrene-b-vinylphenol) (PVPh-b-PS-DDSQ-PS-b-PVPh). We used Fourier transfer infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, size exclusion chromatography, differential scanning calorimetry, mass-analyzed laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry, and transmission electron microscopy to investigate the chemical structures, thermal behavior, and self-assembled nanostructures formed by these main chain-type block copolymers based on DDSQ.
More Related Videos
09:02Using Polystyrene-block-polyacrylic acid-coated Metal Nanoparticles as Monomers for Their Homo- and Co-polymerization
Published on: July 9, 2015
09:22Self-assembling Morphologies Obtained from Helical Polycarbodiimide Copolymers and Their Triazole Derivatives
Published on: February 7, 2017
Related Concept Videos
Characteristics and Nomenclature of Copolymers
Radical Chain-Growth Polymerization: Chain Branching
Radical Chain-Growth Polymerization: Overview
Radical Chain-Growth Polymerization: Mechanism
Step-Growth Polymerization: Overview
Many natural and synthetic polymers are produced by...
Cationic Chain-Growth Polymerization: Mechanism