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Synthesis of Monodisperse Cylindrical Nanoparticles via Crystallization-driven Self-assembly of Biodegradable Block Copolymers
Published on: June 20, 2019
Two-dimensional (2D) quasi-living crystallization-driven self-assembly of polyethylene-b-hyperbranched polyglycidol
Xiaowen Si1, Chenxi Jiang1, Yu Hu1
1Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Faculty of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, P. R. China. mujingshan@nbu.edu.cn.
Abstract:
This paper presents a systematic investigation of the crystalline nucleation, micellization, two-dimensional (2D) growth of polyethylene-b-hyperbranched polyglycidol (PE-b-hbPG) copolymers in solutions during cooling and isothermal crystallization. As a result, lozenge-shaped monolayer or multilayer lamellar crystals were prepared by optimizing the "self-nucleation" conditions. The effect of crystallization temperatures (Tc), critical micelle temperature (CMT), selective solvents, and the topology of block copolymers (BCPs) on the growth of 2D lozenge-shaped crystals is extensively explored using TEM, AFM and in situ DLS techniques. The results demonstrate that the formation of a perfect lozenge-shaped monolayer crystal is contingent upon the relationship between CMT and Tc of the BCPs (CMT < Tc), as well as the isothermal crystallization temperature Tiso (CMT < Tiso < Tc). This significant finding provides a feasibility programme for the preparation of 2D lamellar crystals using the "self-nucleation" approach from an alternative viewpoint of the corona topology.
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