Prof. Felix H. Schacher "Controlled Crosslinking of Block Copolymer Nanostructures: Switchable Membranes, Patchy Particles, and Robust Coatings"
Institute of Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry and Jena Centre for Soft Matter, Jena, Germany
What |
|
---|---|
When |
Jan 22, 2014 from 02:15 PM to 03:00 PM |
Where | Seminarraum A, FMF, Stefan-Meier-Str. 21, Freiburg |
Add event to calendar |
vCal iCal |
Block copolymers represent a unique class of materials for the generation of nanostructured materials in different environments – mainly driven by the inherent immiscibility of unlike building blocks. Although being in the focus of research for decades, applications exploiting this potential to date are scarce. Our focus is put on materials which contain at least one segment which can be selectively crosslinked, either using covalent or supramolecular strategies and, ideally, this process is reversible. Here, we try to give three examples where block copolymer-based materials can be used in the design of advanced materials:
(1) We demonstrate the fabrication of switchable nanoporous membranes from polystyrene-block-poly(2-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate (PS-b-PDMAEMA) diblock copolymers with tunable morphology, pore size, and water flux;
(2) the self-assembly of ampholytic triblock terpolymers, polybutadiene-block-poly(methacrylic acid)-block-PDMAEMA (PB-b-PMAA-b-PDMAEMA), results in soft and patchy micelles which can be used as superior non-viral transfection agents, outperforming even the “gold standard” poly(ethylene imine) (PEI);
(3) finally, the use of poly(ethylene oxide)-block-poly(furfuryl glycidyl ether) (PEO-b-PFGE) diblock copolymers as ligands for Au nanoparticles or as materials for reversibly crosslinkable coatings with tunable periodicity and surface characteristics (hydrophilicity).