{"title":"Two-dimensional (2D) quasi-living crystallization-driven self-assembly of polyethylene-b-hyperbranched polyglycidol diblock copolymers in solution†","authors":"Xiaowen Si, Chenxi Jiang, Yu Hu and Jingshan Mu","doi":"10.1039/D4SM00845F","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p >This paper presents a systematic investigation of the crystalline nucleation, micellization, two-dimensional (2D) growth of polyethylene-<em>b</em>-hyperbranched polyglycidol (PE-<em>b-hb</em>PG) copolymers in solutions during cooling and isothermal crystallization. As a result, lozenge-shaped monolayer or multilayer lamellar crystals were prepared by optimizing the “self-nucleation” conditions. The effect of crystallization temperatures (<em>T</em><small><sub>c</sub></small>), critical micelle temperature (CMT), selective solvents, and the topology of block copolymers (BCPs) on the growth of 2D lozenge-shaped crystals is extensively explored using TEM, AFM and <em>in situ</em> DLS techniques. The results demonstrate that the formation of a perfect lozenge-shaped monolayer crystal is contingent upon the relationship between CMT and <em>T</em><small><sub>c</sub></small> of the BCPs (CMT < <em>T</em><small><sub>c</sub></small>), as well as the isothermal crystallization temperature <em>T</em><small><sub>iso</sub></small> (CMT < <em>T</em><small><sub>iso</sub></small> < <em>T</em><small><sub>c</sub></small>). This significant finding provides a feasibility programme for the preparation of 2D lamellar crystals using the “self-nucleation” approach from an alternative viewpoint of the corona topology.</p>","PeriodicalId":103,"journal":{"name":"Soft Matter","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.9000,"publicationDate":"2024-08-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Soft Matter","FirstCategoryId":"92","ListUrlMain":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2024/sm/d4sm00845f","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"CHEMISTRY, PHYSICAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
This paper presents a systematic investigation of the crystalline nucleation, micellization, two-dimensional (2D) growth of polyethylene-b-hyperbranched polyglycidol (PE-b-hbPG) copolymers in solutions during cooling and isothermal crystallization. As a result, lozenge-shaped monolayer or multilayer lamellar crystals were prepared by optimizing the “self-nucleation” conditions. The effect of crystallization temperatures (Tc), critical micelle temperature (CMT), selective solvents, and the topology of block copolymers (BCPs) on the growth of 2D lozenge-shaped crystals is extensively explored using TEM, AFM and in situ DLS techniques. The results demonstrate that the formation of a perfect lozenge-shaped monolayer crystal is contingent upon the relationship between CMT and Tc of the BCPs (CMT < Tc), as well as the isothermal crystallization temperature Tiso (CMT < Tiso < Tc). This significant finding provides a feasibility programme for the preparation of 2D lamellar crystals using the “self-nucleation” approach from an alternative viewpoint of the corona topology.