Cadmium sulphide quantum dots in morphologically tunable triblock copolymer aggregates

Cadmium sulfide (CdS) quantum dots (QDs) are formed within poly(ethylene oxide)-block-polystyrene-block-poly (acrylic acid) (PEO-b-PS-b-PAA) triblock copolymer aggregates of different architectures. These structures are obtained starting with the same ionically cross-linked primary micelles consisting of a cadmium acrylate core, a PS shell, and a PEO corona. One morphology is a worm-shaped micelle prepared in tetrahydrofuran (THF) in which the CdS QDs are surrounded by the PAA and aligned as a loose necklace in the PS matrix. The PEO serves as a corona around the PS rod. Another structure is a multicore spherical (ca. 50 nm) water soluble PS micelle, surrounded by PEO chains. The CdS particles within these two latter structures are formed by the reaction of cadmium ions present in the acrylate cores with hydrogen sulfide. In a third structure, the CdS QDs are located on the surface of PS micelles. A fourth spherical single-core micelle structure is postulated to exist in dilute THF solutions. The dimensions in all the aggregates can be controlled by the block length.     

Influence of Mixed Common Solvent on the Co-assembled Morphology of PS-b-PEO and CdS Quantum Dots

The hybrid structures of polystyrene-b-poly(ethylene oxide)(PS-b-PEO) block copolymer and inorganic nanoparticles with good stability and biocompatibility have potential applications in drug delivery and bioimaging. Spherical co-assemblies of PS120-b-PEO318 and oleylamine-capped Cd S quantum dots(QDs) are produced successfully in this work by adding water to a mixed common solvent, such as N,N-dimethylmethanamide(DMF)/chloroform, DMF/tetrahydrofuran(THF), or DMF/toluene. The energy dispersive X-ray(EDX) spectrum indicates that QDs are located at the interface between the core and shell of the spherical co-assemblies. The co-assembly process during water addition is traced by transmission electron microscopy(TEM) and turbidity measurement. Spherical co-assemblies are formed through budding from bilayers of the block copolymer and QDs. The morphology of the co-assemblies is related to the miscibility of the QD-dispersing solvents with water and the morphology changes from a spherical to a vesicle-like structure with DMF/toluene. Increasing THF content in the mixed solvent causes morphological transitions from spherical co-assemblies to multi-branched cylinders and micelles where QDs are located in the central core. Increasing chloroform content yields vesicle-like structures with protruding rods on the surface. The mechanism of the morphological transitions is also discussed in detail.     

Preparation of hollow PPy (HPPy) microspheres via template methods with characterization of properties

Template-synthesis method was one of the important methods for the preparation of hollow microspheres. In present work, polystyrene (PS) microspheres were initially synthesized and effects of reaction conditions on the particle size and distribution of PS microspheres were studied. Then sulfonated PS (SPS) microspheres and spherical core (PS) /shell (polypyrrole, PPy) were synthesized by sulfonated and template method respectively. The method was that pyrrole (Py) on the surface of SPS microspheres were polymerized. Then PS (core)-PPy (shell) microspheres by dissolving PS inner core in N, N-Dimethylformamide (DMF), and hollow polypyrrole (HPPy) microspheres were obtained (Figure 1). Thereafter, HPPy microspheres were characterized by fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, particle size analyzer, scanning electron microscope, thermal gravimetric analysis and KDY-4 four-probe resistance meter. The results showed that the size range of PS microspheres were 200～300 nm. HPPy microspheres have been successfully synthesized with good electrical conductivity and excellent thermal stability.     

聚苯乙烯-b-聚氧乙烯-b-聚苯乙烯三嵌段共聚物的自组装

小分子表面活性剂、磷脂、接枝及嵌段共聚物等两亲分子在选择性介质中能够自组装形成特定的分子聚集体 [1,2 ] .嵌段共聚物自组装的某些行为具有生物膜模拟性 ,如最近发现的嵌段共聚物自组装囊泡 [3～ 5] .诸多因素影响着嵌段共聚物在稀溶液中的自组装行为 [6] .对于 ABA型三嵌     

ROD-LIKE AGGREGATES FROM POLYSTYRENE-b-POLY(4-VINYLPYRIDINE)-b-POLYSTYRENE TRIBLOCK COPOLYMER IN AQUEOUS MEDIA

INTRODUCTIONRecently, solution-state assembly of block copolymers has attracted much interest. On the one hand, theversatility of morphology control can be used for the preparation of unique nanostructured materials with variousarchitectures[1-8]. On the other hand, some self-assembled structures are biomimetic[9,10]. The balance betweenthree major forces acting on the system affects block copolymer morphologies in solutions[11,12]. These threeforces include the stretching of the core-for…     

球形聚丙烯粒子固相接枝苯乙烯的研究

用负载型高效球形催化剂催化丙烯本体聚合获得了孔隙率较高的球形聚丙烯 (PP)粒子 .研究了苯乙烯在这种球形多孔PP粒子中的接枝聚合反应 ,考察了各种聚合条件对接枝率及接枝效率的影响 ,并用FTIR、DSC、GPC、粘度测定及偏光显微镜 (PLM)等方法表征了接枝聚合产物的结构和形态 .研究表明 ,球形PP粒子固相接枝苯乙烯不仅可达较高接枝率 (最高达 2 4 % )和接枝效率 (最高达 5 6 7% ) ,PS相区尺寸小、分布均匀 ,而且产物为形态规则的球形颗粒 ,有利于防止聚合物结块和粘壁 .但PP接枝PS后分子量有所下降 ,表明PP接枝PS的同时伴随着轻微的降解     

Self‐assembled complexes of poly(acrylic acid) and poly(styrene)‐block‐poly(4‐vinyl pyridine)

Polymer complexes were prepared from high molecular weight poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) and poly(styrene)‐block‐poly(4‐vinyl pyridine) (PS‐b‐P4VP) in dimethyl formamide (DMF). The hydrogen bonding interactions, phase behavior, and morphology of the complexes were investigated using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), dynamic light scattering (DLS), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). In this A‐b‐B/C type block copolymer/homopolymer system, P4VP block of the block copolymer has strong intermolecular interaction with PAA which led to the formation of nanostructured micelles at various PAA concentrations. The pure PS‐b‐P4VP block copolymer showed a cylindrical rodlike morphology. Spherical micelles were observed in the complexes and the size of the micelles increased with increasing PAA concentration. The micelles are composed of hydrogen‐bonded PAA/P4VP core and non‐bonded PS corona. Finally, a model was proposed to explain the microphase morphology of complex based on the experimental results obtained. The selective swelling of the PS‐b‐P4VP block copolymer by PAA resulted in the formation of different micelles. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 47: 1192–1202, 2009     

静电喷涂法制备具有低吸附力的超疏水性聚苯乙烯膜

采用聚苯乙烯的N,N-二甲基甲酰胺溶液为原料, 通过静电喷涂的方法制备了具有微-纳米复合结构的聚苯乙烯膜. 通过调节溶液浓度, 得到了不同的结构、浸润性及吸附性的表面. 当聚苯乙烯的质量分数为5%、分子量为25000时, 得到的表面与水的接触角达到167°, 吸附力达到15 μN, 表明该膜表面具有超疏水性的同时对水滴具有很低的吸附力. 此外, 分子量的大小也对静电喷涂膜表面形貌的变化起重要的作用.     

Formation and morphologies of novel self-assembled micelles from chitosan derivatives

We successfully synthesized N-phthaloyl-carboxymethylchitosan (CMPhCh) from chitosan. CMPhCh could be self-assembled to form various morphologies of crew-cut micelle-like aggregates using a mixed solution of water and N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF). The results of scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and dynamic light scattering (DLS) revealed that the morphologies of the aggregates exhibited vesicles, vesicle-encapsulating vesicles, onion-like vesicles, and large compound micelles (LCM). Their morphologies were changed with varying the concentration of CMPhCh, the ratio of DMF in the mixture, and the self-assembly process. In relatively high CMPhCh concentration and content of DMF, CMPhCh was self-assembled to form the onion-like vesicles with a thin wall and 80-240 nm diameter. For the first time, TEM observation provided straightforward evidence of the onion-like vesicles prepared from natural polymer.     

Effect of solvents on electro-spinnability of polystyrene solutions and morphological appearance of resulting electrospun polystyrene fibers

The effects of solvents and their properties on electro-spinnability of the as-prepared polystyrene (PS) solutions and the morphological appearance of the as-spun PS fibers were investigated qualitatively by means of a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The eighteen solvents used were benzene, t-butylacetate, carbontetrachloride, chlorobenzene, chloroform, cyclohexane, decahydronaphthalene (decalin), 1,2-dichloroethane, dimethylformamide (DMF), 1,4-dioxane, ethylacetate, ethylbenzene, hexane, methylethylketone (MEK), nitrobenzene, tetrahydrofuran (THF), 1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalene (tetralin), and toluene. The PS solutions in 1,2-dichloroethane, DMF, ethylacetate, MEK, and THF could produce fibers with high enough productivity, while the PS solutions in benzene, cyclohexane, decalin, ethylbenzene, nitrobenzene, and tetralin were not spinnable. Qualitative observation of the results obtained suggested that the important factors determining the electro-spinnability of the as-prepared PS solutions are high enough values of both the dipole moment of the solvent and the conductivity of both the solvent and the resulting solutions, high enough boiling point of the solvent, not-so-high values of both the viscosity and the surface tension of the resulting solutions.     

中间嵌段为亲水性的BAB型三嵌段共聚物水溶液中初级聚集体的二次聚集行为研究

采用TEM和AFM研究了PS(聚苯乙烯)₄₃-b-PEO(聚氧乙烯)₄₅-b-PS₄₃和PS₃₉-b-P4VP(聚4-乙烯基吡啶)₉₈-b-PS₃₉三嵌段共聚物在水介质中的球形胶束、囊泡和蠕虫状胶束之间的二次聚集行为.实验发现,初级聚集体的二次聚集具有不同的复杂程度.对称性的初级聚集体,如球形胶束和囊泡,其二次聚集表现出球形对称性;而非对称性初级聚集体(如蠕虫状胶束)二次聚集开始倾向于非对称性.BAB型的嵌段设计有利于初级聚集体的二次聚集发生.     

Morphology evolution of polystyrene-core/poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-shell microgel synthesized by one-pot polymerization

One-pot polymerization with macroinitiator is supposed to be a robust, facile way to synthesize well-defined coreshell nanoparticles with fixed shell thickness. To testify this, we investigated the temperature-depending morphology evolution of polystyrene(PS) core/poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)(PNIPAM) shell microgel synthesized by one-pot polymerization with PNIPAM-RAFT as macroinitiator in dimethylformamide(DMF) by transmission electron microscopy(TEM), dynamic/static light scattering(DLS/SLS) and small angle neutron scattering(SANS). It is revealed that the microgel has a core-shell structure, i.e., the core is made of pure PS, but the shell is composed of both PNIPAM-RAFT macroinitiator and crosslinked PS. In fact, there are 92.0 wt% D2 O, 6.7 wt% PNIPAM and 1.3 wt% PS in the shell in its aqueous dispersion at 21 °C; therefore, its shell thickness is much larger than the extended chain length of the macroinitiator as revealed by both SANS and DLS observations. Competitive growth of styrene, divinylbenzene and PNIPAM macroinitiator as well as possible chain transfer from amine proton of PNIPAM side chain may lead to the larger shell thickness, compared with the extended chain length of the macroinitiator. Our work can shed light on the real morphology control in one-pot polymerization.     

Micelles of poly(styrene-b-2-vinylpyridine-b-ethylene oxide) with blended polystyrene core and their application to the synthesis of hollow silica nanospheres

Core-shell-corona (CSC) micelles of asymmetric triblock copolymer, poly(styrene-b-2-vinylpyridine-b-ethylene oxide) (PS-PVP-PEO), containing polystyrene homopolymer (homo-PS) in the core were successfully prepared in aqueous media. The influence of homo-PS contents over the formation of the micelles was investigated thoroughly by various techniques such as dynamic light scattering (DLS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and fluorescence spectroscopy. It was found that the size of the PS core of the micelle was increased by the addition of homo-PS as observed by DLS and TEM techniques. The SEM and TEM measurements confirm the spherical morphology of the micelles and enlargement of PS core over the addition of homo-PS. The increase in the PS core volume of the PS-PVP-PEO micelles is attributed to the insertion of homo-PS in the PS core. The micelles have also been demonstrated as facile soft templates for synthesis of hollow silica nanospheres. The average diameter of the spherical hollow particles could be tuned between 30.6 and 38.8 nm with cavity sizes ranging from 20.7 to 28.5 nm using tetramethoxysilane as silica precursors under mild acidic conditions. The facile synthesis of hollow silica using the CSC micelles with different homo-PS contents indicates that the hollow void size can be controlled within a range of several nanometers.     

Preparation and formation mechanism of wood-block-like calcite particles

Pure calcite crystal with different morphologies such as wood-block and spherical aggregates were prepared by a precipitation reaction in the presence of citric acid. The as-prepared products were characterized with scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results showed that citric acid obviously influenced the formation of precipitates and the morphology of final products. The formation mechanism of wood-block-like particles was proposed according to theoretical deduction and the proposed growth mode.     

Formation of "snowmanlike" polystyrene/poly(methyl methacrylate)/toluene droplets dispersed in an aqueous solution of a nonionic surfactant at thermodynamic equilibrium

"Snowmanlike" polystyrene (PS)/poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) composite particles were prepared by evaporation of toluene from PS/PMMA/toluene droplets dispersed in an aqueous solution of polyoxyethylene nonylphenyl ether surfactant (Emulgen 911). Partitioning experiments revealed that the Emulgen 911 concentration was higher in the droplets than in the aqueous solution during toluene evaporation. As a consequence, the interfacial tensions between the polymer phases (PS and PMMA) and the aqueous phase (gammaP-T/W) were extraordinarily low (approximately 10(-1) mN/m). The interfacial tension between the PS and PMMA phases containing toluene (gammaPS-T/PMMA-T) measured by the spinning drop method was not affected by the presence of Emulgen 911. Based on minimization of the total interfacial free energy at a polymer weight fraction in the toluene droplet of 0.17, the formation of spherical droplets is expected, in agreement with experiment. The subsequent morphology change of the PS/PMMA/toluene droplets from spherical to snowmanlike during toluene evaporation under thermodynamic equilibrium is attributed to (i) the low values of gammaP-T/W, which explains the increase in the interfacial area between the droplets and the aqueous phase, and (ii) the increase in gammaPS-T/PMMA-T with increasing polymer weight fraction.     

Morphology and Size Distribution Characterization of Precipitated Asphaltene from Live Oil During Pressure Depletion

The size and morphology of asphaltene aggregates, precipitated from live oil by pressure depletion at the reservoir temperature was studied using scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. The experimental studies showed that the mean size of aggregates increased when pressure decreased. The results indicate that the morphology of aggregates was changed from amorphous spherical and elliptical shapes to irregular. A bimodal distribution function was able to describe the size distribution in pressure range of 500 to 3500 psi. At higher pressure, the unimodel was able to represent the size distribution. The results showed reduction in live oil stability and asphaltene aggregation with pressure drop.     

Preparation of micrometer-sized, monodisperse "janus" composite polymer particles having temperature-sensitive polymer brushes at half of the surface by seeded atom transfer radical polymerization

Micrometer-sized, monodisperse polystyrene (PS)/poly[methyl methacrylate-(chloromethyl)styrene] [P(MMA-CMS)] composite particles having hemispherical structure were prepared by solvent evaporation from toluene droplets containing dissolved PS and P(MMA-CMS) dispersed in aqueous solution, which had been prepared using the membrane method. The formation of hemispherical ("Janus") morphology by phase separation between the PS and the P(MMA-CMS) was confirmed by both optical and electron microscopy. Atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate (DM) was subsequently carried out in the presence of hemispherical PS/P(MMA-CMS) composite particles in an aqueous dispersed system. After polymerization, the morphology of the particles changed from spherical to "mushroom" shape as observed by scanning electron microscopy, indicating that DM polymerized inside or on the surface of half [P(MMA-CMS) phase] of the particles. 1H NMR spectra were consistent with chloromethyl functional groups in P(MMA-CMS) operating as ATRP initiators in the DM polymerization.     

Correlation of polymer-like solution behaviors with electrospun fiber formation of hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin and the adsorption study on the fiber

In this paper, the formation of hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HPCD) nanofibers in electrospinning and the adsorption of organic molecules on the HPCD nanofiber were studied. The properties of a polymer-like solution from the highly concentrated HPCD/N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) solution revealed HPCD supramolecular aggregates formation. The entanglements of HPCD self-organized aggregates were one of the most important factors that significantly influenced fiber formation during cyclodextrin electrospinning. The HPCD self-organized aggregates entanglement concentration (C(e)) was investigated. Analyzing the dependence of specific viscosity (η(sp)) on concentration enabled the determination of the aggregates unentangled and entangled regimes for HPCD polymer-like solutions. The dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurements and the (1)H NMR spectra of the HPCD solutions confirmed the presence of considerable HPCD self-organized aggregates in high concentrated HPCD/DMF solutions due to the intermolecular hydrogen bonding. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed the electrospinning morphology transitioned from regular beads to uniform fibers with increasing the HPCD concentration. The dependence of the fiber diameter on the zero shear rate viscosity (η(0)) was determined. The static adsorption behavior of the HPCD fibers was studied. Neutral red (NR) was used as a model organic molecule. The adsorption of NR onto HPCD fibers fitted the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The equilibrium adsorption amount of NR was 18.41 mg g(-1), and the apparent adsorption rate constant was 9.83 × 10(-4) g mg(-1) min(-1) at 25 °C.     

Spontaneous generation of amphiphilic block copolymer micelles with multiple morphologies through interfacial Instabilities

We introduce a method for the formation of block copolymer micelles through interfacial instabilities of emulsion droplets. Amphiphilic polystyrene-block-poly(ethylene oxide) (PS-PEO) copolymers are first dissolved in chloroform; this solution is then emulsified in water and chloroform is extracted by evaporation. As the droplets shrink, the organic solvent/water interface becomes unstable, spontaneously generating a new interface and leading to dispersion of the copolymer as micellar aggregates in the aqueous phase. Depending on the composition of the copolymer, spherical or cylindrical micelles are formed, and the method is shown to be general to polymers with several different hydrophobic blocks: poly(1,4-butadiene), poly(-caprolactone), and poly(methyl methacrylate). Using this method, hydrophobic species dissolved or suspended in the organic phase along with the amphiphilic copolymer can be incorporated into the resulting micelles. For example, addition of PS homopolymer, or a PS-PEO copolymer of different composition and molecular weight, allows the diameter and morphology of wormlike micelles to be tuned, while addition of hydrophobically coated iron oxide nanoparticles enables the preparation of magnetically loaded spherical and wormlike micelles.     

Cooperative Self‐Assembly‐Assisted Formation of Monodisperse Optically Active Spherical and Anisotropic Nanoparticles

We report a new method in which spontaneous self‐assembly is employed to synthesize monodisperse polymer nanoparticles with controlled size (<50 nm), shape, tunable functionality, and enhanced solvent and thermal stability. Cooperative noncovalent interactions, such as hydrogen bonding and aromatic π–π stacking, assist self‐assembly of amphiphilic macromolecules (polystyrene‐block‐polyvinylpyridine, PS? PVP) and structure directing agents (SDAs) to form both spherical and anisotropic solid polymer nanoparticles with SDAs residing in the particle core surrounded by the polymers. Through detailed investigations by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), we have rationalized nanoparticle morphology evolution and dependence on factors such as SDA concentration and PVP size. By keeping the PS chain size constant, the particle morphology progresses from continuous films to spherical particles, and on to cylindrical nanowires or rods with increasing the PVP chain size. The final nanoparticles are very stable and can be redispersed in common solvents to form homogenous solutions and thin films of ordered nanoparticle arrays through solvent evaporation processes. These nanoparticles exhibit tunable fluorescent colors (or emissions) depending on the choices of the central SDAs. Our method is simple and general without requiring complicated synthetic chemistry, stabilizing surfactants, or annealing procedures (e.g., temperature or solvent annealing), making scalable synthesis feasible.