SONSEUROCORES - COMPLEXITY ACROSS LENGTHSCALES IN SOFT MATTER (SCALES)

该项目旨在将参与软物质研究互补方面的团体的专业知识与不同长度尺度上的复杂自组织相结合。从原子到10和100纳米尺度上的自排序模式的显着相似性最近已被强调。该项目将特别关注由液晶和由3和4种不相容类型的部分组成的星星嵌段共聚物形成的新型高度复杂结构。最近在三元两亲物中引入的蜂窝柱状LC相在多样性和复杂性方面迅速扩大，虽然它们将进一步发展，但在该项目的过程中将合成和研究几个系列的四元两亲化合物，以期创造复杂的3-d结构。此外，从LC工作中学到的设计原理也将用于扩展杂臂三元和四元共聚物中的2-D相和表面图案的范围。在同一时间，将试图扩大的范围内的结构LC相应用的原则背后的显着范围内的2-D和3-D相在多嵌段共聚物。受最近发现的两亲性LC和嵌段共聚物中的液体准晶体和密切相关的2-d相的启发，将尝试创建类似的复合物和可能的准周期结构，可能导致例如近各向同性光子带隙材料。这些新结构也将掺杂金属离子和功能分子等客体物种，以研究其进一步的应用潜力。一种新的方法来创建使用液晶介质的胶体长度尺度上的秩序也将被应用。合作伙伴是各自领域的领先团队，在合成、形态和结构表征、NMR、模拟和理论方面具有互补的专业知识。

The project aims to combine the expertise of groups involved in complementary aspects of research into soft matter with complex self-organization on different length scales. Significant similarities in self-ordering patterns on scales from atomic to 10 and 100 nm have been highlighted recently. This project will focus in particular on novel highly complex structures formed by liquid crystals and star block copolymers consisting of 3 and 4 incompatible types of moieties. The recently introduced honeycomb columnar LC phases in ternary amphiphiles are rapidly expanding in diversity and complexity and, while they will be developed further, several series of quaternary amphiphilic compounds will be synthesised and studied in the course of the project, with a view on creating complex 3-d structures. Furthermore, the design principles learned from the LC work will also be used to expand the range of 2-d phases and surface patterns in miktoarm ter- and quaterpolymers. At the same time attempts will be made to enlarge the range of structured LC phases by applying the principles behind the remarkable range of 2-d and 3-d phases in multiblock copolymers. Inspired by the recent discovery of liquid quasicrystals and closely related 2-d phases in amphiphilic LC's and block copolymers, creation of similar complex and possibly quasiperiodic structures will be attempted, possibly leading to e.g. nearly isotropic photonic bandgap materials. The new structures will also be doped with guest species such as metal ions and functional molecules to investigate their further application potential. A novel approach to create order on colloidal length scale using liquid crystal medium will also be applied. The partners are leading groups in their fields with complementary expertise in synthesis, morphological and structural characterization, NMR, simulation and theory.