A simple route to ordered metal oxide nanoparticle arrays using block copolymer thin films

Oxide nanoparticles arrays are easily synthesized in a 3-steps method including (i) the deposition of poly(styrene)-b-poly(4-vinylpyridine) (PS-b-PVP) thin films, (ii) the selective deposition of inorganic precursors and (iii) the synthesis of oxide nanoparticles and the elimination of the polymer scaffold by thermal annealing. The specific staining of the PVP domains by inorganic precursors is obtained in this study thanks to a simple and fast spin coating process using an alcoholic solution of the precursors. This simple lab-procedure is used to synthesize a wide range of metallic (silicon, titanium, cerium, ruthenium, zinc and manganese) oxides, showing that this method can be extended to the synthesis of all kinds of oxides with all kinds of precursors as long as the precursor is soluble in P4VP solvent. It is shown that this strategy can be extended to the synthesis of oxide nanorods.     

Uniformly sized gold nanoparticles derived from PS-b-P2VP block copolymer templates for the controllable synthesis of Si nanowires

A monolayer of gold-containing surface micelles has been produced by spin-coating solution micelles formed by the self-assembly of the gold-modified polystyrene-b-poly(2-vinylpyridine) block copolymer in toluene. After oxygen plasma removed the block copolymer template, highly ordered and uniformly sized nanoparticles have been generated. Unlike other published methods that require reduction treatments to form gold nanoparticles in the zero-valent state, these as-synthesized nanoparticles are in form of metallic gold. These gold nanoparticles have been demonstrated to be an excellent catalyst system for growing small-diameter silicon nanowires. The uniformly sized gold nanoparticles have promoted the controllable synthesis of silicon nanowires with a narrow diameter distribution. Because of the ability to form a monolayer of surface micelles with a high degree of order, evenly distributed gold nanoparticles have been produced on a surface. As a result, uniformly distributed, high-density silicon nanowires have been generated. The process described herein is fully compatible with existing semiconductor processing techniques and can be readily integrated into device fabrication.     

A new simple method to prepare hollow PES microspheres

A new simple method for the formation of hollow polyethersulfone (PES) microspheres was reported in this paper. Coaxial electrospraying equipment and nonsolvent precipitating bath were used to produce hollow microspheres in one step. The properties of the core solution affected the formation of hollow PES microspheres. To form hollow microspheres in one step, the core solution should be removed directly by a nonsolvent. Additionally, the core solution should also be used to occupy the internal space of microspheres and form a supporting layer at the interface between the core solution and the shell solution. The supporting layer formed by the micro-phase that was caused by the phase separation of the core or shell solution was the key factor for the formation of hollow PES microspheres. The performance of hollow microspheres produced by this method was excellent. This method provided a new simple way to form hollow polymer microspheres and can be extended to other polymers to prepare hollow microspheres in one step.     

Kinetically constrained block copolymer self-assembly a simple method to control domain size

In this work asymmetric polystyrene-block-polyethylene oxide (PS-PEO) diblock copolymers were blended with high and low molecular polystyrene (PS) homopolymer and spin cast, resulting in the rapid self-assembly of vertically oriented PEO cylinders in a matrix of PS. Due to the kinetically constrained phase separation of the system, increasing addition of homopolymer is shown to reduce the diameter of the PEO domains, even when the homopolymer was of significantly higher molecular weight than the PS block in the PS-PEO diblock copolymer and would be predicted to macro-phase separate from the copolymer. The outcomes of this study provide a novel method that requires the adjustment of a single variable to tune the size of vertically oriented PEO domains between 10 and 100 nm, with potential applications in a number of areas including membrane technologies.     

Conducting block copolymer for simple micro- to nanopatterns

To use conducting polymers as substitutes for metals and conventional semiconductors in device fabrication, a cost-effective process for the reproducible deposition of the conducting polymers is needed. In this letter, we report a simple solution casting method for the fabrication of micro- to nanopatterns using the conducting block copolymer, poly(thiophene-block-ethyleneoxide), which shows rectifying characteristics dependent on the pattern width.     

PS-b-P4VP/CoSm杂化材料的制备及其磁性能

用溶液相金属盐沉积法在苯乙烯与4-乙烯基吡啶嵌段共聚物(PS-b-P4VP) 胶束中制备了平均直径为12 nm的PS-6-P4VP/Co、PS-b-P4VP/CoSm(nCo:nSm=3.8:1,13.0:1)、PS-b-P4VP/Sm纳米粒子.胶束溶液通过高温回流使磁性成核粒子和磁性金属原子的流动能力和扩散能力提高而获得尺寸均一的颗粒.傅里叶红外分析表明.当只有CoCl2加入时,Co2将与多个4-乙烯基吡啶基团配位,而CoCl2和SmCl3同时加入时,由于Sm-4VP配体的屏蔽使Co2 与4-乙烯基吡啶基团的配位数减少.振动样品磁强计对上述样品磁性能的分析表明:随着Sm含量的增加,样品的饱和磁化强度和剩余磁化强度减少,而矫顽力增加.     

A simple and efficient method to prepare thioesters in aqueous solutions

A simple method is described for the efficient synthesis of biologically-active thioesters in aqueous solutions. The method utilizes imidazole as a catalyst and easily synthesized acyl or aminoacyl adenylates to synthesize a variety of thioesters, from small molecules to macromolecules. Yields in excess of 90% can be achieved in less than 10 min at room temperature. Specifically, functional derivatization of RNA with biotin via thioester linkage is demonstrated.     

A simple method to ordered mesoporous carbons containing nickel nanoparticles

A series of ordered mesoporous carbons containing magnetic Ni nanoparticles (Ni-OMCs) with a variety of Ni loadings was made by a simple one-pot synthetic procedure through carbonization of phenolic resin-Pluronic block copolymer composites containing various amount of nickel nitrate. Such composite materials were characterized by N₂ sorption, XRD, and STEM. Ni-OMCs exhibited high BET surface area, uniform pore size, and large pore volume without obvious pore blockage with a Ni loading as high as 15 wt%. Ni nanoparticles were crystalline with a face-center-cubic phase and observed mainly in the carbon matrix and on the outer surface as well. The average particle size of Ni nanoparticles was dependent on the preparation (carbonization) temperature and Ni loading; the higher the temperature was used and the more the Ni was incorporated, the larger the Ni nanoparticles were observed. One of the applications of Ni-OMCs was demonstrated as magnetically separable adsorbents. Dedicated to Professor Mietek Jaroniec on the occasion of his 60th birthday.     

The effect of shear on ordered block copolymer solutions

Block copolymers are extensively used in solution, especially aqueous solution, because of their amphiphilic character. This leads to the formation of lyotropic mesophases under given conditions of concentration and temperature. In many applications, block copolymer solutions are subjected to shear during processing (for example in drug delivery or when washing in detergent solutions) and thus it is of considerable interest to understand how shear affects the mesophase structure. Recent research has focussed on probing shear-induced structural transformations in lamellar, hexagonal and cubic-packed micellar phases using small-angle X-ray and neutron scattering.     

Highly oriented and ordered microstructures in block copolymer films

Block copolymer (BCP) films with long-range lateral ordering and orientation are crucial for many applications. Here, we report a simple, versatile strategy based on a solution casting procedure, to produce millimeter thick film of BCPs with highly oriented nanostructures. Transmission electron microscope (TEM), small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), and Hansen solubility parameters were used to study the morphology and interactions of the system. A variety of BCP-solvent pairs were investigated. Factors including set-up geometry, BCP characteristics, solvent evaporation, surface tension, and interactions, such as solvent-BCP, solvent-substrate, and BCP-substrate were examined. A mechanism is proposed to describe the observed long-range lateral ordering and orientation in films up to 1 mm in thickness. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2018 , 56, 1369–1375     

Aqueous route to prepare large-scale array of highly ordered polystyrene/aluminum hydroxide microspheres

Monodisperse aluminum hydroxide coated polystyrene (PS) microspheres and their array in large scale was prepared at one step in aqueous solution. The coated PS microsphere arrays are highly ordered and have remarkable structural stability. The arrays can be in plate form and hollow sphere form, depending on the concentration of aluminum sulfate. Hollow aluminum hydroxide shell arrays can be also obtained with calcination.     

A simple and convenient route to prepare poly(vinylidene fluoride trifluoroethylene) copolymer nanowires and nanotubes

Poly(vinylidene fluoride trifluoroethylene) copolymer nanowires and nanotubes have been prepared for the first time via a high temperature (相似文献   

Dual template method to prepare hierarchical porous carbon nanofibers for high-power supercapacitors

Hierarchical porous carbon nanofibers serving as electrode materials are prepared through carbonization and hydrofluoric acid treatment of polyacrylonitrile-based electrospinning involving dual templates. The hierarchical porous structures are synergistically tailored by varying template contents in the spinning solution. The carbon nanofibers prepared from the electrospinning of polyacrylonitrile containing 15/15 wt.% polymethylmethacrylate/tetraethyl orthosilicate exhibit the largest specific surface area (699 m² g^?1) and microporous volume (0.196 cm³ g^?1). In 6 M KOH electrolyte, a symmetrical supercapacitor equipped with the hierarchical porous carbon nanofibers demonstrates its high-end specific capacitance of 170 F g^?1, superior rate capability, and high-power density output up to 14.7 kW kg^?1. Cycling evolution indicates capacitance fading is only 5.8 % of initial capacitance at a current density of 1 A g^?1 even after 8,000 cycles. The excellent electrochemical performances of the carbon nanofiber are mainly ascribed to the optimized pore size distributions of both micropores and mesopores and the unique hierarchical pore structures possessed by abundant micropores.     

A simple method to prepare solid nanoparticles of water-soluble salts using water-in-oil microemulsions

 A new and simple method to prepare solid nanoparticles of water-soluble salts using water-in-oil microemulsions is described. In particular, starting from water/sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl)sulfosuccinate/n-heptane microemulsions carrying inside the aqueous core of the reversed micelles some water-soluble salts [CaCl₂, Na₂HPO₄, Cu(NO₃)₂], after evaporation of the volatile components (water and apolar organic solvent), the resulting inorganic salt/surfactant composites were found to be totally dispersible in pure n-heptane. The presence of nanoparticles in these resuspended composites was ascertained by transmission electron microscopy observation of samples obtained by gentle evaporation of the organic solvent. Received: 8 July 1999/Accepted in revised form: 5 October 1999     

Formation of a highly ordered dot array of surface micelles of a block copolymer via liquid crystal-hybridized self-assembly

A highly ordered dot array pattern of surface micelles on water is formed by a spread monolayer of an amphiphilic block copolymer, polystyrene-block-poly(4-vinylpyridine) (PS-4VP), via hybridization with a liquid crystal molecule, 4'-pentyl-4-cyanobiphenyl (5CB), on water. Simple co-spreading of PS-4VP with 5CB provides a flat homogeneous monolayer of PS-4VP on water without the aggregation of PS blocks. With increasing surface pressure, well-defined dots of the PS blocks start to grow and are arrayed in a highly ordered hexagonal structure. The exact coincidence of the surface pressure-area curves for the hybrid monolayer in the compression and expansion processes confirms that the flat spread monolayer and the dot array are formed on water in the equilibrium state by a self-assembly process.     

Cyclodextrin-functionalized ordered porous block copolymer films: Preparation and property

Ordered porous block copolymer films(PBCFs) have attracted much attention because of their potential applications in several fields. In this paper, we first reported a non-destructive, controllable, and efficient approach for preparation of β-cyclodextrin(β-CD)-functionalized PBCFs(β-CD-PBCFs). The key point of the approach is to incorporate β-CD units into the hydrophilic segment of amphiphilic block copolymers before the preparation of films. β-CD-PBCFs with structural integrity and controllable pore parameters were fabricated through combining of self-assembly and breath figure methods. And then, the effective adsorption capacity of β-CD-PBCFs toward Congo red was confirmed through UV-Vis spectroscopy and was found to be affected by β-CD content and solution p H values. Adsorption kinetic results showed that the adsorption behavior of β-CD-PBCFs was consistent with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and the chemisorption mechanism.     

聚苯乙烯-聚4-乙烯基吡啶两亲嵌段共聚物在CO2膨胀液体中的组装行为

嵌段共聚物的自组装行为和其组装形成的胶束聚集体的形貌因在生物医学、药物传输和催化等方面的潜在应用而引起了科学家们的极大兴趣。本工作报道了利用二氧化碳膨胀液体(CXLs)对嵌段共聚物聚苯乙烯-聚4-乙烯基吡啶(PS-b-P4VP)的自组装聚集体(SAA)进行组装结构调控的初步探索。研究发现利用CXLs的抗溶剂效应可以成功调节共聚物PS-b-P4VP的自组装行为。研究结果表明,CXLs的压力及共聚物的组成是影响SAA结构的主要外部因素,CXLs的抗溶剂效应及其对共聚物溶剂化构型的影响是控制SAA形貌转变的主要内在因素。不同组成的共聚物,在CXLs中其SAA的结构形貌均表现出了对压力的显著响应特性。共聚物PS₁₆₈-b-P4VP₄₂₀的自组装聚集体的结构由常压(0.1 MPa)下以球形胶束为主转变为高压下(6.35 MPa)以互联棒状胶束结构为主,而PS₇₉₀-b-P4VP₂₆₃的SAA结构则由常压下的小型囊泡过渡到6.35 MPa下的大复合囊泡(LCVs)。但是对于PS₁₅₃-b-P4VP₁₅₃₀,随着压力的调节,其SAA的结构由常压(0.1 MPa)下的大复合胶束(LCMs)转变为6.35 MPa下的大复合囊泡(LCVs)。特别是,我们发现在本工作考察的实验条件下,在常规溶剂甲苯中控制SAA结构的主要因素是共聚物的组成;而在CXLs条件下,PS壳链与溶剂CXLs间的接触面积随压力调节而发生的改变,可能是控制SAA形貌转变的主要因素。此外,随着CXLs压力升高而引起的PS与P4VP嵌段间双亲性差别的减小,会引起P4VP核-PS壳的界面间的表面张力发生改变,这也是触发SAA形貌转变的诱因之一。本工作充分显示了CXLs方法有助于可控调节自组装聚集体(SAA)的形貌和组装行为,为研发复合纳米材料开辟了一条崭新的绿色途径。     

A new method to prepare macroporous copolymer of glycidyl methacrilate and ethylene dimethacrilate as enzyme carrier

Macroporous copolymer of glycidyl methacrylate and ethylene dimethacrylate containing surface epoxy groups was firstly synthesized with dodecyl alcohol and cyclohexanol as liquid pore-forming agents and nanosize calcium carbonate as solid porogenic agent. The scanning electron microscopy was used to characterize their surface structure. Under the optimum conditions, β-galactosidase from Aspergillus oryzae was immobilized on the support obtained above, and the basic property and the kinetic data of the reaction on immobilized enzyme were determined. These data were compared with those obtained for the enzyme immobilized on the support prepared only with the liquid solution as pore-forming agent. Satisfactory results were obtained in enzyme activity, immobilization yield, pH stability, thermal stability, operational stability, and Michaelis constants K _M. The results indicated that the copolymer of glycidyl methacrilate and ethylene dimethacrylate newly prepared was more suitable to immobilize enzyme than the carrier synthesized with traditional method.     

Development of various PS-b-P4VP micellar morphologies: fabrication of inorganic nanostructures from micellar templates

A liquid-phase method for preparing uniform-sized silica nanospheres (SNSs) 12 nm in size and their three-dimensionally ordered arrangement upon solvent evaporation have recently been pioneered by us. Here we report the successful control of the sphere sizes in the wide range from 14 to 550 nm by the seed regrowth method. In this method, the dispersion of SNSs 14 nm in size as seeds was prepared in the emulsion system containing Si(OEt)(4) (TEOS), water and arginine under weakly basic conditions (pH 9-10). An appropriate portion of this dispersion is added to the solution containing water, ethanol and arginine, and then TEOS is added. The additional TEOS introduced into the regrowth system contributed only to the resumed growth of the seeds, not to the formation of new silica particles. The size of interparticle pores was finely tuned by changing the size of the spheres. The preparation of three-dimensionally ordered porous carbons by using the colloidal array of silica nanospheres as a template is also reported.