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Cubosomes from hierarchical self-assembly of poly(ionic liquid) block copolymers

Author

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  • Hongkun He

    (Center for Macromolecular Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University
    Present address: Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA)

  • Khosrow Rahimi

    (DWI-Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials)

  • Mingjiang Zhong

    (Yale University)

  • Ahmed Mourran

    (DWI-Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials)

  • David R. Luebke

    (National Energy Technology Laboratory)

  • Hunaid B. Nulwala

    (Center for Macromolecular Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University
    National Energy Technology Laboratory)

  • Martin Möller

    (DWI-Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials)

  • Krzysztof Matyjaszewski

    (Center for Macromolecular Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University)

Abstract

Cubosomes are micro- and nanoparticles with a bicontinuous cubic two-phase structure, reported for the self-assembly of low molecular weight surfactants, for example, lipids, but rarely formed by polymers. These objects are characterized by a maximum continuous interface and high interface to volume ratio, which makes them promising candidates for efficient adsorbents and host-guest applications. Here we demonstrate self-assembly to nanoscale cuboidal particles with a bicontinuous cubic structure by amphiphilic poly(ionic liquid) diblock copolymers, poly(acrylic acid)-block-poly(4-vinylbenzyl)-3-butyl imidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide, in a mixture of tetrahydrofuran and water under optimized conditions. Structure determining parameters include polymer composition and concentration, temperature, and the variation of the solvent mixture. The formation of the cubosomes can be explained by the hierarchical interactions of the constituent components. The lattice structure of the block copolymers can be transferred to the shape of the particle as it is common for atomic and molecular faceted crystals.

Suggested Citation

  • Hongkun He & Khosrow Rahimi & Mingjiang Zhong & Ahmed Mourran & David R. Luebke & Hunaid B. Nulwala & Martin Möller & Krzysztof Matyjaszewski, 2017. "Cubosomes from hierarchical self-assembly of poly(ionic liquid) block copolymers," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 8(1), pages 1-8, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:8:y:2017:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms14057
    DOI: 10.1038/ncomms14057
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