CAREER: Composite Materials of Functional Block-copolymers and Nanoparticles: Understanding the Assembly Processes and Structure-property Relationships

技术概述：两亲嵌段共聚物和纳米颗粒的自组装为创建多功能纳米结构提供了一条强有力的途径。然而，这两种组分的组装行为尚未得到大力研究，研究人员一直依靠简单的增溶方法将纳米颗粒包封在聚合物基质中。Park团队最近的研究表明，纳米颗粒和嵌段共聚物的协同组装可以在离散的嵌段共聚物聚集体中形成有序的纳米颗粒阵列。本研究将进一步研究是什么控制了这两种组分在选择性溶剂中的共组装过程，以及纳米颗粒如何影响嵌段共聚物的形态和性能。这些知识是设计具有预设结构和性能的纳米颗粒/聚合物复合材料的关键。此外，Park团队将把该策略扩展到含有共轭聚合物段的嵌段共聚物，嵌段共聚物不仅可以作为结构导向分子，还可以为复合体系提供额外的功能。这种独特的材料组合和嵌段共聚物的自组装能力将导致具有可控结构和性能的先进多功能纳米到微米级材料。非技术总结：纳米颗粒在聚合物中的结合提供了一种有效的方法来控制软材料的机械、光学和电学性能，应用范围从柔性、低成本的太阳能电池到生物成像和医学。提出的研究旨在阐明纳米颗粒和嵌段共聚物之间的相互作用如何影响聚合物/纳米颗粒复合颗粒的形态。这项研究将为选择合适的嵌段共聚物/纳米颗粒对和组装条件提供指导，以创造具有理想结构和性能的复合材料。拟议的活动的更广泛的影响是寻求利用高度可见的纳米科学来更好地吸引大学预科生和本科生参与科学。培养跨学科化学领域的研究生和博士后是该研究的另一个重要成果。拟议的研究使用了几个不同领域的概念和工具，包括材料科学，表面化学和光谱学。学生将在看似不相关的领域之间发现机会，并学习如何解决这些边界上的问题。

TECHNICAL SUMMARY: The self-assembly of amphiphilic block-copolymers and nanoparticles offers a powerful route to create multifunctional nanostructures. However, the assembly behavior of the two components has not been vigorously studied, and researchers have been relying on the simple solubilization approach to encapsulate nanoparticles in polymer matrixes. The Park group has recently shown that the cooperative assembly of nanoparticles and block-copolymers can lead to ordered arrays of nanoparticles in discrete block-copolymer aggregates. The proposed research will further investigate what controls the co-assembly process of the two components in selective solvents and how nanoparticles affect the morphology and properties of block-copolymers. Such knowledge is key to the design of nanoparticle/polymer composite materials with preconceived architecture and properties. Furthermore, the Park group will extend the strategy to block-copolymers containing conjugated polymer segments, where block-copolymers not only act as structure-directing molecules but also provide an additional functionality to the composite system. This unique combination of materials and the self-assembly capability of block-copolymers will lead to advanced multifunctional nanometer to micrometer scale materials with controllable structure and properties.NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY:The incorporation of nanoparticles in polymers offers an effective way to control the mechanical, optical, and electrical properties of soft materials for applications ranging from flexible, low-cost solar cells to biological imaging and medicine. The proposed research aims to elucidate how the interactions between nanoparticles and block-copolymers affect the morphology of polymer/nanoparticle composite particles. This study will provide a guide for selecting suitable block-copolymer/nanoparticle pairs and assembly conditions to create composite materials with desirable architectures and properties. The broader impact of the proposed activity seeks to exploit highly visible nanoscience to better engage pre-college and undergraduate students in science. Educating graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in an interdisciplinary field of chemistry is another important outcome of the proposed study. The proposed research uses concepts and tools in several different areas including materials science, surface chemistry, and spectroscopy. Students will discover opportunities at the interfaces between seemingly unrelated fields and learn how to solve problems at those boundaries.