Geometry induced sequence of nanoscale Frank-Kasper and quasicrystal mesophases in giant surfactants.

ABSTRACT: Frank-Kasper (F-K) and quasicrystal phases were originally identified in metal alloys and only sporadically reported in soft materials. These unconventional sphere-packing schemes open up possibilities to design materials with different properties. The challenge in soft materials is how to correlate complex phases built from spheres with the tunable parameters of chemical composition and molecular architecture. Here, we report a complete sequence of various highly ordered mesophases by the self-assembly of specifically designed and synthesized giant surfactants, which are conjugates of hydrophilic polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane cages tethered with hydrophobic polystyrene tails. We show that the occurrence of these mesophases results from nanophase separation between the heads and tai

SUBMITTER: Yue K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5167151 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature