Abstract
The creation of shaped, uniform and colloidally stable two-dimensional (2D) assemblies by bottom-up methods represents a challenge of widespread current interest for a variety of applications. Herein, we describe the utilization of surface charge to stabilize self-assembled planar structures that are formed from crystallizable polymer precursors by a seeded growth approach. Addition of crystallizable homopolymers with charged end-groups to seeds generated by the sonication of block copolymer micelles with crystalline cores yields uniform platelet micelles with controlled dimensions. Significantly, the seeded growth approach is characterized by a morphological memory effect whereby the origin of the seed, which can involve a quasi-hexagonal or rectangular 2D platelet precursor, dictates the observed 2D platelet shape. This new strategy is illustrated using two different polymer systems, and opens the door to the construction of 2D hierarchical structures with broad utility.
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Acknowledgements
X.H., A.N. and X.L. are grateful to the European Union (EU) for Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellowships. C.E.B. thanks the Bristol Chemical Synthesis Centre for Doctoral Training, funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), for a PhD studentship. PeakForce atomic force microscopy was carried out in the Chemical Imaging Facility, University of Bristol with equipment funded by EPSRC. G. R. Whittell is thanked for helpful discussions.
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X.H. and I.M. conceived the project with input from A.N. X.H. synthesized the polymers, and performed the experiments. X.H. and C.E.B. performed the LSCM imaging. X.H. and R.L.H. performed the AFM analysis. X.L. provided the PFS25-b-P2VP250 seeds. M.-S.H. performed the imaging and analysis of ED and EDX mapping. X.H., M.-S.H. and I.M. prepared the manuscript with input from all the other authors. The project was supervised by I.M.
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He, X., Hsiao, MS., Boott, C. et al. Two-dimensional assemblies from crystallizable homopolymers with charged termini. Nature Mater 16, 481–488 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat4837
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat4837
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