Single-Chain Nanoparticle Complexation at Interfaces

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The current proposal investigates the interfacial properties of intramolecularly photo-crosslinked polymer chains, so-called amphiphilic single-chain nanoparticles (SCNPs) as a novel type of surfactant. Specifically, we will design SCNPs by exploiting interface-enforced complexation between segments of specific block copolymers, e.g. water-soluble poly(dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate) (PDMAEMA) associating at the interface with oil-soluble poly(propylene oxide) (PPO), leading to the formation of prearranged/collapsed sandwich conformations, critically different to the classical pancake conformation with a larger distance between both blocks. These prearranged sandwiches will be conserved by photochemical crosslinking methods at the oil/water interface (mere interblock crosslinking and statistical inter- and intrablock crosslinking; the latter would allow bridging different parts of the same block of the block copolymer, while the former generates bridges only between the two blocks of the same chain). To achieve this goal, the careful design of each block and the crosslinking procedure is critical. By variation of the copolymer composition and crosslinking conditions, the crosslinking degree can be altered and, in some cases, even reversed. Subsequently, the polymers will be investigated systematically at the Langmuir trough. We expect unprecedented amphiphilic properties of the resulting SCNPs, for example a rather parallel orientation of the chains even at higher interfacial concentration leading to a Janus-type structure at the interface. Hence, we expect that the resulting SCNPs feature an increased surfactant efficiency for resource-efficient applications due to decreased polymer amounts to cover the interface.