Directional effect on the fusion of ellipsoidal morphologies into nanorods and nanotubes?

RSC Advances Pub Date: 2021-01-05 DOI: 10.1039/D0RA09548F

Abstract

Particle fusion is well-recognized as an important spontaneous process to produce higher-order nanostructures during morphology transition in polymerization-induced self-assembly (PISA). However, to our knowledge, the directional contact, adhesion, and fusion of adjacent nanoparticles have been rarely elucidated in PISA. Herein, a directional fusion of ellipsoidal morphologies was demonstrated during PISA of semi-fluorinated liquid-crystalline (SFLC) block copolymers. The ellipsoidal nanostructures, including micelles and vesicles, preferred to undergo a directional fusion in a head-to-head model, leading to the formation of nanorods and nanotubes, respectively. We believe the directional fusion will offer insightful guidance in PISA to the preparation of complicated functional nanostructures.

Graphical abstract: Directional effect on the fusion of ellipsoidal morphologies into nanorods and nanotubes
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