Polymerization Induced Microphase Separation for the Fabrication of Nanostructured Materials
Kenny Lee1, Nathaniel Corrigan1,2, Cyrille Boyer1,2
1Cluster for Advanced Macromolecular Design (CAMD), School of Chemical Engineering, UNSW Australia, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
Angewandte Chemie (International Ed. in English)
|July 10, 2023
Summary
Polymerization induced microphase separation (PIMS) creates advanced nanostructures with tunable sizes. This versatile method yields materials for diverse applications, from batteries to sensors.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Polymer Chemistry
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Polymerization induced microphase separation (PIMS) is a method for creating nanostructures.
- It involves microphase separation of block copolymers during polymerization.
- This process yields materials with distinct domains, including crosslinked polymers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide a comprehensive overview of the PIMS process.
- To summarize recent advancements in PIMS chemistry.
- To discuss the broad applicability of PIMS-derived materials.
Main Methods:
- Exploits block copolymer microphase separation during polymerization.
- Controls nanostructure and mesopore sizes by adjusting block copolymer precursor size.
- Enables formation of co-continuous morphologies and mesoporous materials via selective etching.
Main Results:
- PIMS generates nanostructures with at least two chemically independent domains.
- Achieves highly sought-after co-continuous morphologies.
- Allows precise control over domain and mesopore sizes.
Conclusions:
- PIMS is a synthetically simple yet powerful strategy for advanced material development.
- The method offers unparalleled control over nanostructure and mesopore dimensions.
- PIMS has a proven track record in diverse applications including biomedical devices, energy storage, and sensors.
