Supramolecular Nanostructured and Liquid Crystalline Polymer Materials and films

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Nanotechnology necessitates the ability to construct very precise nanostructures or nano-objects with well-defined shapes, sizes, and long-range order, as well as specific responsiveness to external stimuli such as light and temperature.  One of the most important methods to achieve this is by the self-assembly of appropriately designed molecules.  This is the approach privileged by nature, giving very complex but exquisitely designed biological structures having highly sophisticated functions. For materials scientists, two types of molecules that self-assemble in specific ways are liquid crystals and block copolymers, giving nano- and meso-structured materials, respectively.  These are thus ideal starting materials for the design of complex man-made nanostructures.  We have previously pioneered in "marrying" liquid crystals and polymers through supramolecular chemistry - i.e. by directing the assembly of the two components (building blocks) via specific non-covalent interactions.  This is an extremely versatile approach for tailoring the specific properties of the material for specific purposes, including for the incorporation of stimuli-responsive functions.  We will now combine block copolymers and stimuli-sensitive liquid crystals via the supramolecular approach for the purpose of obtaining novel "intelligent" materials with hierarchical structure (i.e. periodicity on several lengthscales, nano and meso) and with specific function associated with one or more of the structural levels.  In practice, many high-technology applications - ranging from active nanodevices (e.g. high-throughput biosensors) to nanoporous filtration membranes to nanopatterned templates (for depositing other desired materials such as metals, electroactive molecules or biomolecules) - require polymers to be in the form of thin and ultrathin films characterized by specific, well-ordered nanopatterns.  Block copolymers are again ideal for this purpose.  Using the supramolecular approach, we will combine block copolymers with small molecules, including liquid crystalline and stimuli-responsive ones, to learn to direct, fine-tune, and manipulate the patterns obtained and to understand the underlying principles.