Co-reporter:Xueli Kong, Xiaofan Wang, Tianchan Luo, Yuan Yao, Lei Li, and Shaoliang Lin
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces June 7, 2017 Volume 9(Issue 22) pp:19345-19345
Publication Date(Web):May 15, 2017
DOI:10.1021/acsami.7b04273
Here reported is the approach to prepare the tunable 3D architecture and patterning through photoinduced orientation of azopolymer. The hemispherical PAzoMA array can be transformed into spindlelike, flat ellipsoidlike, thick spindlelike, near-hexagon, near-quadrangle, and near-rhombus arrays while being exposed to linearly polarized light (LPL). The size and alignment of the arrays can be precisely controlled by manipulating the irradiation time. Furthermore, complex 3D architectures of the PAzoMA array are readily fabricated through secondary irradiation along different direction. This technique is promising for functionalized surfaces and photonic devices.Keywords: 3D architecture; azobenzene; micro array; photomanipulation; surface patterning;
Co-reporter:Xin-xin Li 李欣欣;Xiao Huo;Hui-jiao Han
Chinese Journal of Polymer Science 2017 Volume 35( Issue 11) pp:1363-1372
Publication Date(Web):25 August 2017
DOI:10.1007/s10118-017-1963-0
A novel fluorinated triblock copolymer incorporating 2-ethylhexyl methacrylate (EHMA), tert-butyl methacrylate (tBMA) and 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorodecyl acrylate (FA) (PEHMA-b-PtBMA-b-PFA) was first synthesized using three successive reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization and the subsequent hydrolyzing at acidic condition. The as-fabricated triblock copolymer exhibited an interesting morphology evolution from the multi-compartment rod-like structure to spherical structure along with the addition of a selective solution. At the same time, a visible phase separation domain could be seen in the core area due to the existence of fluorocarbon segments. Furthermore, the self-assembly behavior of the triphilic copolymer at different pH was also verified by transmission electron microscopy, as well as the dynamic light scattering. These stimuli-responsive multi-compartment nanostructures may have potential applications in drug delivery.
Co-reporter:Wei Wang, Yuan Yao, Tianchan Luo, Lingzhi Chen, Jiaping LinLei Li, Shaoliang Lin
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 2017 Volume 9(Issue 4) pp:
Publication Date(Web):January 10, 2017
DOI:10.1021/acsami.6b14024
The fabrication of desired structures is one of the most urgent topics in current research on porous polymer films. Herein, directional photomanipulation in conjunction with breath figure processing has been demonstrated for the preparation of porous polymeric films with finely tunable pore shape and size. Because of the photoinduced directional mass migration of azobenzene units upon vertical incident linearly polarized light (LPL) irradiation, round pores on honeycomb films can be reshaped into multifarious shapes including rectangle, rhombus, dumbbell, line, and so forth. In addition, slantwise LPL irradiation produces unique asymmetrical structure inside the pores oriented along the polarized direction. On the other hand, circularly polarized light (CPL) irradiation affords manipulation of the wall thickness without changing the pore shape. This versatile directional photomanipulation method can be implemented to large-area and high-throughput reshaping processes, which paves the way to a number of promising applications such as a flexible etching mask for patterning.Keywords: azobenzene; block copolymers; photomanipulation; porous films; self-assembly;
Co-reporter:Fei Gao;Yaohui Xing;Yuan Yao;Liuying Sun;Yao Sun;Xiaohua He
Polymer Chemistry (2010-Present) 2017 vol. 8(Issue 48) pp:7529-7536
Publication Date(Web):2017/12/12
DOI:10.1039/C7PY01591G
In this work, a triblock copolymer poly(acrylic acid)-block-poly[6-(4-methoxy-azobenzene-4′-oxy) hexylmethacrylate]-block-poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PAA-b-PAzoMA-b-PNIPAM) containing pH, photo and temperature sensitive groups was synthesized through three-step RAFT polymerization. By tuning the solvents, the copolymer could self-assemble into spherical micelles or vesicles with multi-stimuli responsiveness. Either the micelles or the vesicles underwent obvious size decreases when the temperature was above the LCST of PNIPAM, and size increases when the pH value was below the pKa of PAA without obvious morphology changes. In addition, under UV irradiation, the micelles disrupted into much smaller particles whereas the vesicles transformed into micelles with an apparent size decrease on account of trans-to-cis isomerization of the azobenzene moieties. Upon irradiation by linear polarized light, the micelles were elongated into spindles and short rods. Furthermore, the photo-isomerization rate of the azobenzene moiety could be modulated by pH and temperature. The multi-stimuli responsive properties of PAA-b-PAzoMA-b-PNIPAM will further expand the potential application of azobenzene copolymers in smart materials.
Co-reporter:Xue Lin, Xiaohua He, Chaoqun Hu, Yuxiang Chen, Yiyong Mai and Shaoliang Lin
Polymer Chemistry 2016 vol. 7(Issue 16) pp:2815-2820
Publication Date(Web):16 Mar 2016
DOI:10.1039/C6PY00152A
An unprecedented two-dimensional (2D) disk-like micelle with cylindrical pores was achieved for the first time by self-assembly of the amphiphilic block copolypeptide poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(γ-benzyl-L-glutamate) (PEG-b-PBLG) in solution. The aggregate structures were fully characterized by TEM, SEM, 1H NMR, AFM and CD. The research results showed that the α-helical conformation of PBLG blocks plays a key role in the formation process of a disk-like morphology. By tuning the ratio between the hydrophilic block and hydrophobic block in PEG-b-PBLG copolymers, various aggregate structures including micelles, disk-like micelles, vesicles and large vesicles can be achieved. The research results are helpful to expand the self-assembly fields and can provide more nanostructural materials.
Co-reporter:Fei Gao, Wei Wang, Xinxin Li, Lei Li, Jiaping Lin, Shaoliang Lin
Journal of Colloid and Interface Science 2016 Volume 468() pp:70-77
Publication Date(Web):15 April 2016
DOI:10.1016/j.jcis.2016.01.035
•The honeycomb films of fluorinated copolymers are fabricated by breath figure technique.•The influence of preparation conditions on the film surface features is investigated in details.•Wetting behavior including hydrophobic property and wetting state of the films is explored.•A facile approach to fabricate amphiphobic honeycomb film with extremely low fluorine content is presented.A series of poly(methyl methacrylate)-block-poly(perfluoroalkyl ethyl acrylate) (PMMA-b-PFAEA) with various fluorine content were employed to fabricate honeycomb ordered films via breath figure strategy. The influences of temperature, concentration, relative humidity, fluorine content on the morphology of porous films were investigated. Wetting behavior including hydrophobic property and wetting state of the films was studied. High surface roughness from the porous structure and low surface free energy from the increasing PFAEA fraction led to the enhancement of hydrophobicity. Additionally, fabrication of porous films by the mixture of PMMA and PMMA-b-PFAEA was investigated. Ordered porous film with excellent hydrophobicity and oleophobicity was obtained with only 7 wt% of PMMA-b-PFAEA by simultaneous processes of breath figure mechanism and phase separation. This work facilitates our further comprehension of the mechanism of breath figure and contributes to the fabrication of porous film from fluorinated copolymers. Meanwhile, it opens a new route to prepare films possessing excellent hydrophobicity and oleophobicity with extremely low fluorine content.
Co-reporter:Feng Huang, Yisheng Lv, Liquan Wang, Pengxiang Xu, Jiaping Lin and Shaoliang Lin
Soft Matter 2016 vol. 12(Issue 30) pp:6422-6429
Publication Date(Web):04 Jul 2016
DOI:10.1039/C6SM00912C
Polymerization-induced self-assembly is a one-pot route to produce concentrated dispersions of block copolymer nano-objects. Herein, dissipative particle dynamics simulations with a reaction model were employed to investigate the behaviors of polymerization-induced self-assembly. The polymerization kinetics in the polymerization-induced self-assembly were analyzed by comparing with solution polymerization. It was found that the polymerization rate enhances in the initial stage and decreases in the later stage. In addition, the effects of polymerization rate, length of macromolecular initiators, and concentration on the aggregate morphologies and formation pathway were studied. The polymerization rate and the length of the macromolecular initiators are found to have a marked influence on the pathway of the aggregate formations and the final structures. Morphology diagrams were mapped correspondingly. A comparison between simulation results and experimental findings is also made and an agreement is shown. This work can enrich our knowledge about polymerization-induced self-assembly.
Co-reporter:Xiaokang Li, Feng Huang, Tao Jiang, Xiaohua He, Shaoliang Lin and Jiaping Lin
RSC Advances 2015 vol. 5(Issue 2) pp:1514-1521
Publication Date(Web):19 Nov 2014
DOI:10.1039/C4RA11585F
The microphase separation of side chain liquid crystalline (SCLC) block copolymers was studied using dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) simulations. The block copolymer monomer consists of flexible A segments and flexible B segments grafted by rigid C side chains, where the A, B and C blocks are incompatible with each other. The phase structures of the SCLC copolymers were found to be controlled by A and C block lengths and the graft number. Various mesophases, such as spheres, cylinders, gyroids, and lamellae, were obtained. Phase stability regions in the space of C block length and A block length (or graft number and A block length) were constructed. The packing ordering of C side chains was also studied, and discovered to increase as the temperature decreases or the rigid C side chains increase. In addition, the results of the SCLC copolymers were compared with those of flexible copolymers and available experimental observations. The simulation results in the present work provide useful information for future investigations on SCLC copolymers.
Co-reporter:Ce Li, Wei Wang, Xiaofan Wang, Hao Jiang, Jintao Zhu, Shaoliang Lin
European Polymer Journal 2015 Volume 68() pp:409-418
Publication Date(Web):July 2015
DOI:10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2015.05.011
•A facile and template-free approach to prepare porous microspheres is presented.•Amphiphilicity of block copolymer plays an important role in the formation of pores.•The porous microspheres demonstrate photo-responsive properties.A facile and effective approach to prepare porous microspheres by poly(4-vinylpyridie)-b-Poly{6-[4-(4-butyloxyphenylazo)phenoxy]hexyl methacrylate} (P4VP-b-PAzoMA) is presented. By tuning polymer compositions and concentration of polymer or surfactant in emulsion droplets, a series of microspheres with controllable particle size and porous structure were obtained. The formation of porous microspheres could be attributed to the synergy effect between emulsion–solvent evaporation and amphiphilicity of copolymer. Upon subsequent linearly polarized light irradiation, the microspheres as well as the pores can be elongated. This versatile approach for preparing porous microspheres can be applied to various amphiphilic copolymers, which may extend promising applications in the fields of gas storage, catalyst carrier and so forth.Graphical abstract
Co-reporter:Wei Wang, Jiaping Lin, Chunhua Cai, Shaoliang Lin
European Polymer Journal 2015 Volume 65() pp:112-131
Publication Date(Web):April 2015
DOI:10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2015.01.023
•Polymers owning optical properties and their self-assembly behaviors are presented.•Self-assembly of amphiphilic copolymers generates unique optical properties.•Self-assemblies with optical properties are promising in biomedical applications.As a promising technique for preparing polymeric materials with novel structures and properties, self-assembly is gaining increasing attentions. The applications of self-assemblies raise the claim of full expression of inherent functions and adequate stimuli-responsive features. Light is an excellent media for the realization of inherent functions, in favor of the communication with external environments. The aggregates self-assembled from polymers with optical functions can bring multifarious optical properties and promising applications. In the assemblies, the emission and fluorescence properties of polymers are dependent on both the aggregation type of the polymers and the aggregation-induced effects including planarization and specific intermolecular interactions. The aggregation-induced optical properties are influenced by external stimuli including pH and temperature, which confer various applications, such as in the areas of bioimaging and optical sensor. When photo-responsive groups with photochromism, photo-crosslink or photo-degradation properties are incorporated into polymers, self-assemblies are able to change their shape and inner structure under light irradiation. Such light triggered property is suitable in application for controllable release of loaded species from assemblies. We also discuss the challenges and developing directions regarding the studies and applications of self-assemblies from polymers with optical properties.
Co-reporter:Jingyi Li, Lingzhi Chen, Jiangping Xu, Ke Wang, Xiaofan Wang, Xiaohua He, Hai Dong, Shaoliang Lin, and Jintao Zhu
Langmuir 2015 Volume 31(Issue 48) pp:13094-13100
Publication Date(Web):November 9, 2015
DOI:10.1021/acs.langmuir.5b03610
Here we present the generation of uniform microparticles with tunable diameters from azobenzene-based homopolymer by combining the microfluidics technique and emulsion-solvent evaporation route. In addition, the photoinduced deformation behavior of these microspheres, irradiated by a linearly polarized beam with different irradiation time and direction, are systemically studied. The deformation process through real time optical microscope observation can be investigated, benefiting from the uniform and microscaled size of the polymer particles. These results indicate that the deformation degree characterized by relative variation of the long axial for the particles can be controlled by the irradiation time. Moreover, elongated particles with tunable aspect ratio or tilted shape can be generated by manipulating the irradiation direction and/or time. Interestingly, the shape transformation kinetics displays a significant dependence on initial size of the polymer particle. In addition, the shape transformation of the polymer particle can lead to the variation of the orientation and distribution of the encapsulated anisotropic gold nanorods.
Co-reporter:Xinxin Li, Yanhua Yang, Guojun Li and Shaoliang Lin
Polymer Chemistry 2014 vol. 5(Issue 15) pp:4553-4560
Publication Date(Web):22 Apr 2014
DOI:10.1039/C4PY00308J
A novel fluorinated diblock tercopolymer was synthesized by the reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer method, incorporating methacrylic acid, methyl methacrylate, and perfluoroalkyl ethyl methylacrylate blocks as hydrophilic, lipophilic, and fluorophilic units, respectively. Depending upon the specific triphilic balance, under control solution conditions, the block copolymer self-assembled in dimethylformamide/water dispersions induced an evolution from spheres to wormlike structures, and finally to novel nail-shaped structures, as verified by transmission electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering. The control mechanism is explained in terms of the effect of each property on the forces that govern the formation of any given morphology, namely the core-chain stretching, strong incompatibility between the lipophilic blocks and the fluorophilic blocks, and interfacial tension.
Co-reporter:Wei Wang;Can Du;Xiaofan Wang; Xiaohua He; Jiaping Lin;Lei Li; Shaoliang Lin
Angewandte Chemie International Edition 2014 Volume 53( Issue 45) pp:12116-12119
Publication Date(Web):
DOI:10.1002/anie.201407230
Abstract
Porous polymeric films are of paramount importance in many areas of modern science and technology. However, processing methods typically based on direct writing, imprint, and lithography techniques have low throughput and are often limited to specific fabricated shapes. Herein, we demonstrate the directional photomanipulation of breath figure arrays (BFAs) formed by an azobenzene-containing block copolymer to address the aforementioned problems. Under the irradiation of linearly polarized light, the round pores in the BFAs were converted to rectangular, rhombic, and parallelogram-shaped pores in 30 min, due to the anisotropic mass migration based on the photo-reconfiguration of the azobenzene units. Through a secondary irradiation after rotating the sample by 90°, the transformed pores were apparently recovered. Therefore, this non-contacted, directional photomanipulation technique in conjunction with breath figure processing opens a new route to nano/microporous films with finely tuned features.
Co-reporter:Shengwei Deng, Yongmin Huang, Cheng Lian, Shouhong Xu, Honglai Liu, Shaoliang Lin
Polymer 2014 Volume 55(Issue 18) pp:4776-4785
Publication Date(Web):2 September 2014
DOI:10.1016/j.polymer.2014.07.039
•An efficient method for correlating the complex morphologies to mechanical response.•Two kinds of fracture process were shown to explain novel experimental findings.•Stiffness is closely related to the hard phase rather than the molecular architecture.•The relation between the fracture strain and molecular architecture.Multiblock copolymers containing a large number of blocks have distinct microstructures and mechanical responses that are different from that of conventional diblock and triblock copolymers. A combined simulation method that utilized MesoDyn for morphologies and probabilistic lattice spring model (LSM) for mechanical properties was adopted in this work. Simulation results show that tensile strength increases dramatically with an increase in the number of blocks within “hard-soft” multiblock copolymers. This phenomenon can be described by the occurrence of bridging and looping chain conformations in experiment. One-dimensional lamellae were built to provide an ideal morphology for studying the influence of lamellar orientation on multiblock copolymer mechanical properties. During tensile tests different failure processes were observed with two kinds of interface strength that corresponded to a difference in chain structures (diblock, triblock or multiblock copolymers). These studies provide an efficient method for correlating the complex morphologies to the mechanical response of multiblock copolymers.
Co-reporter:Wuqiong Sun, Xiaohua He, Chunyan Gao, Xiaojuan Liao, Meiran Xie, Shaoliang Lin and Deyue Yan
Polymer Chemistry 2013 vol. 4(Issue 6) pp:1939-1949
Publication Date(Web):07 Jan 2013
DOI:10.1039/C2PY21043F
Novel amphiphilic and photo-responsive ABC 3-miktoarm star terpolymers consisting of hydrophilic poly(ethylene glycol) monomethyl ether (MPEG), hydrophobic polystyrene (PS) and azobenzene-containing poly[6-(4-methoxy-azobenzene-4′-oxy) hexylmethacrylate] (PMMAZO) were synthesized by a combination of atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) and click chemistry. MPEG was first end-capped by an epoxide ring, which was opened by sodium azide for the preparation of the modified MPEG bearing reactive azide group and hydroxyl group (MPEG–(OH)(N3)). Click chemistry was then performed to conjugate α-alkynyl-ω-diethylamino-PS and MPEG–(OH)(N3) for the preparation of a block copolymer with reactive hydroxyl group at the junction point (MPEG(–OH)–b–PS), which was further esterified with 2-bromoisobutyryl bromide to prepare the macroinitiator with reactive bromo group at the central point (MPEG(–Br)–b–PS). Finally, an azobenzene-containing PMMAZO arm was introduced into the diblock copolymer by ATRP of 6-(4-methoxy-azobenzene-4′-oxy) hexylmethacrylate monomer (MMAZO) initiated with macroinitiator MPEG(–Br)–b–PS for the preparation of ABC 3-miktoarm star terpolymer (MPEG)(PS)(PMMAZO). The self-assembled morphologies of the star terpolymers in selective solvents changed from bowl-shaped structures to multibowl-shaped structures with the lengthening of the hydrophobic chains (PS or PMMAZO). Photo-responsive investigation showed that the different aggregation states had a great effect on the photo-induced isomerization behaviors. These results may provide guidelines for the design of effective photoresponsive anisotropic materials.
Co-reporter:Wuqiong Sun;Xiaohua He;Xiaojuan Liao;Wei Huang;Meiran Xie
Journal of Applied Polymer Science 2013 Volume 130( Issue 3) pp:2165-2175
Publication Date(Web):
DOI:10.1002/app.39407
ABSTRACT
Well-defined azobenzene-containing side chain liquid crystalline diblock copolymers composed of poly[6-[4-(4-methoxyphenylazo)phenoxy]hexyl methacrylate] (PAzoMA) and poly(glycidyl methacrylate) (PGMA) were synthesized by a two-step reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer polymerization (RAFT). The thermal liquid-crystalline phase behavior of the PGMA-b-PAzoMA diblock copolymers in bulk were measured by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and polarized light microscopy (POM). The synthesized diblock copolymers exhibited a smectic and nematic liquid crystalline phase over a relatively wide temperature range. With increasing the weight fraction of the PAzoMA block, the phase transition temperatures, and corresponding enthalpy changes increased. Atomic force microscope (AFM) measurements confirmed the formation of the microphase separation in PGMA-b-PAzoMA diblock copolymer thin films and the microphase separation became more obvious after cross-linking the PGMA block. The photochemical transition behavior of the PGMA-b-PAzoMA diblock copolymers in solution and in thin films were investigated by UV–vis spectrometry. It was found that the trans–cis isomerization of diblock copolymers was slower than that of the corresponding PAzoMA homopolymer and the photoisomerization rates decreased with increasing either the length of PAzoMA block or PGMA block. The photo-induced isomerization in solid films was quite different with that in CHCl3 solution due to the aggregation of the azobenzene chromophore. The cross-linking structures severely suppressed the photoisomerization of azobenzene chromophore. These results may provide guidelines for the design of effective photo-responsive anisotropic materials. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 130: 2165–2175, 2013
Co-reporter:Xiaohua He;Chunyan Gao;Wuqiong Sun;Wei Huang;Deyue Yan
Journal of Polymer Science Part A: Polymer Chemistry 2013 Volume 51( Issue 5) pp:1040-1050
Publication Date(Web):
DOI:10.1002/pola.26472
Abstract
Well-defined azobenzene-containing side-chain liquid crystalline diblock copolymers composed of poly[6-(4-methoxy-azobenzene-4′-oxy) hexyl methacrylate] (PMMAZO) and poly(γ-benzyl-L-glutamate) (PBLG) were synthesized by click reaction from alkyne- and azide-functionalized homopolymers. The alkyne-terminated PMMAZO homopolymers were synthesized by copper-mediated atom transfer radical polymerization with a bromine-containing alkyne bifunctional initiator, and the azido-terminated PBLG homopolymers were synthesized by ring-opening polymerization of γ-benzyl-L-glutamate-N-carboxyanhydride in DMF at room temperature using an amine-containing azide initiator. The thermotropic phase behavior of PMMAZO-b-PBLG diblock copolymers in bulk were investigated using differential scanning calorimetry and polarized light microscopy. The PMMAZO-b-PBLG diblock copolymers exhibited a smectic phase and a nematic phase when the weight fraction of PMMAZO block was more than 50%. Photoisomerization behavior of PMMAZO-b-PBLG diblock copolymers and the corresponding PMMAZO homopolymers in solid film and in solution were investigated using UV–vis. In solution, trans–cis isomerization of diblock copolymers was slower than that of the corresponding PMMAZO homopolymers. These results may provide guidelines for the design of effective photoresponsive anisotropic materials. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2013
Co-reporter:Xiaohua He, Xiaomeng Wu, Chunyan Gao, Kai Wang, Shaoliang Lin, Wei Huang, Meiran Xie, Deyue Yan
Reactive and Functional Polymers 2011 71(5) pp: 544-552
Publication Date(Web):May 2011
DOI:10.1016/j.reactfunctpolym.2011.02.001
Co-reporter:Xiaohua He, Liang Zhong, Kai Wang, Shaoliang Lin, Shufang Luo
Reactive and Functional Polymers 2009 69(9) pp: 666-672
Publication Date(Web):September 2009
DOI:10.1016/j.reactfunctpolym.2009.04.013