Close-packed block copolymer micelles induced by temperature quenching.

ABSTRACT: Close-packed structures of uniformly sized spheres are ubiquitous across diverse material systems including elements, micelles, and colloidal assemblies. However, the controlled access to a specific symmetry of self-assembled close-packed spherical particles has not been well established. We investigated the ordering of spherical block copolymer micelles in aqueous solutions that was induced by rapid temperature changes referred to as quenching. As a function of quench depth, the quenched self-assembled block copolymer micelles formed three different close-packed structures: face-centered cubic (fcc), random stacking of hexagonal-close-packed layers (rhcp), and hexagonal-close-packed (hcp). The induced hcp and rhcp structures were stable for at least a few weeks when maintained at their qu

SUBMITTER: Chen L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6048542 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature