Dramatic morphological changes are observed in the Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) film assemblies of poly(ethylene glycol)-b-(styrene-r-benzocyclobutene) block copolymer (PEG-b-(S-r-BCB)) after intramolecular cross-linking of the S-r-BCB block to form a linear-nanoparticle structure. To isolate architectural effects and allow direct comparison, the linear block copolymer precursor and the linear-nanopa...

– We consider microand macro-phase separation in blends of AB and BC flexible diblock copolymers. We show that, depending on architecture, a number of phase diagram topologies are possible. Microphase separation or macrophase separation can occur, and there are a variety of possible Lifshitz points. Because of the rich parameter space, Lifshitz points of multiple order are possible. We demonstr...

A brush-like block copolymer of poly(acrylic acid)-block-poly(oligo(ethylene glycol)methyl ether acrylate) (PAA-b-POEGA) was synthesized via reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization, and its dispersing ability as polymeric dispersant for graphene oxide (GO) sheets in aqueous suspensions was studied in comparison with a traditional random copolymer having similar ch...

High-aspect-ratio sub-15-nm silicon trenches are fabricated directly from plasma etching of a block copolymer mask. A novel method that combines a block copolymer reconstruction process and reactive ion etching is used to make the polymer mask. Silicon trenches are characterized by various methods and used as a master for subsequent imprinting of different materials. Silicon nanoholes are gener...

This paper examines the interaction between a block copolymer and a virus. A poly(styrene-b-4-vinylpyridine) block copolymer was loaded with nickel, and cast from a selective solvent mixture to form a cylindrical microstructure (PS/P4VP-Ni). The nickel ions were confined within the P4VP block of the copolymer. The binding of tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) and tobacco necrosis virus on microphase-se...

Solubilization and encapsulation of fullerenes C60 and C70 by ultralarge hollow micelles formed by rod-coil diblock copolymers and characterization of the resulting self-organized fullerene-block copolymer assemblies are reported. The solubilization capacity of each fullerene in poly(phenylquinoline)-blockpolystyrene (PPQ-PS) micelles in binary solvents, trifluoroacetic acid/dichloromethane, an...

Spinal cord injury results in immediate disruption of neuronal membranes, followed by extensive secondary neurodegenerative processes. A key approach for repairing injured spinal cord is to seal the damaged membranes at an early stage. Here, we show that axonal membranes injured by compression can be effectively repaired using self-assembled monomethoxy poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(d,l-lactic aci...

We here report the synthesis and characterization of a complex polymeric architecture based on a block copolymer with a cylindrical brush block and a single-chain polymeric nanoparticle block folded due to strong intramolecular hydrogen-bonds. The self-assembly of these constructs on mica surfaces was studied with atomic force microscopy, corroborating the distinct presence of block copolymer a...

We report an investigation of the influence of block copolymer architectures on formation of nanophases in epoxy thermosets via reactioninduced microphase separation approach. Toward this end, three binary block copolymers composed of polystyrene (PS) and poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) were synthesized via the combination of ring-opening polymerization (ROP) and atomic transfer radical polymerizati...