Anisotropic polymer nanoparticles with controlled dimensions from the morphological transformation of isotropic seeds

Understanding and controlling self-assembly processes at multiple length scales is vital if we are to design and create advanced materials. In particular, our ability to organise matter on the nanoscale has advanced considerably, but still lags far behind our skill in manipulating individual molecul...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inarXiv.org
Main Authors Zan Hua, Jones, Joseph R, Thomas, Marjolaine, Arno, Maria C, Souslov, Anton, Wilks, Thomas R, O'Reilly, Rachel K
Format Paper Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Ithaca Cornell University Library, arXiv.org 02.10.2019
Subjects
Anisotropy
Morphology
Nanoparticles
Physics - Materials Science
Physics - Soft Condensed Matter
Polymers
Self-assembly
Transformations
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Summary:Understanding and controlling self-assembly processes at multiple length scales is vital if we are to design and create advanced materials. In particular, our ability to organise matter on the nanoscale has advanced considerably, but still lags far behind our skill in manipulating individual molecules. New tools allowing controlled nanoscale assembly are sorely needed, as well as the physical understanding of how they work. Here, we report a new method for the production of highly anisotropic nanoparticles with controlled dimensions based on a morphological transformation process (MORPH for short) driven by the formation of supramolecular bonds. We present a minimal physical model for MORPH which suggests it will be generalisable to a large number of polymer/nanoparticle systems. We envision MORPH becoming a valuable tool for controlling nanoscale self-assembly, and for the production of functional nanostructures for diverse applications.
ISSN:2331-8422
DOI:10.48550/arxiv.1910.01002