J.R. Thompson, Yang Ren Sun, et al.
Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications
The effect of the stereochemistry of polylactide (PLA)-based block copolymers on templated inorganic nanostructures has been investigated from the self-assembly of a stereoisomer pair/organosilicate mixture followed by organosilicate vitrification and copolymer thermolysis. Isomeric PLA homopolymers, block copolymers, and a stereoblock copolymer were prepared by ring-opening polymerization of r>, L-, or rac-laclide using an organocatalytic catalyst. Both differential scanning calorimetry and atomic force microscopy showed the formation of a stereocomplex between enantiomeric stereoisomers, that is, block copolymer/block copolymer and block copolymer/homopolymer mixtures as well as a stereoblock copolymer. The unique noncovalent interactions driven by stereocomplexation of D- and L-lactide provided supramolecular structures with a hierarchical order as characterized by distinctive vertical and horizontal growth of toroidal nanostructured inorganic features. This study demonstrates the potential of hierarchically assembling suprastructures that bridge the nano- to mesoscale feature sizes in the design of tunable functional nanomaterials suitable for future applications of microelectronics, material science, and bioengineering. ©2008 American Chemical Society.
J.R. Thompson, Yang Ren Sun, et al.
Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications
I. Morgenstern, K.A. Müller, et al.
Physica B: Physics of Condensed Matter
Corneliu Constantinescu
SPIE Optical Engineering + Applications 2009
Daniel J. Coady, Amanda C. Engler, et al.
ACS Macro Letters