Issue 79, 2014

Block copolymer self-assembly controlled by the “green” gas stimulus of carbon dioxide

Abstract

Stimuli-responsive macromolecules have inspired much interest in polymer science. Inputting an external stimulus to these polymers can modulate their chain structures and self-assembled architectures for functional outputs. This appealing feature has made this class of polymer materials promising for many emerging applications. In order to apply these polymer systems in organisms and further make them adaptive to physiological environments, it is important to explore new stimulation modes. In this Feature Article, we review the recent development of using carbon dioxide (CO2) as a stimulus for tuning or controlling block copolymer (BCP) self-assembly. We show that a series of CO2-responsive functionalities can easily be incorporated into BCP structures, and that rationally designed BCPs can have their self-assembled structures undergo drastic changes in size, shape, morphology and function, controlled by the amount of CO2 in aqueous solution. This gas stimulus has some distinct advantages over other conventional stimuli: it is truly “green” for the environment of the target polymer system without any chemical contaminations; the stimulating strength or magnitude can be precisely adjusted with the continuous gas flow; and, being a key metabolite in cells, it provides a convenient physiological signal to allow synthetic polymer systems to mimic certain properties of organelles and act as intelligent macromolecular machines and devices.

Graphical abstract: Block copolymer self-assembly controlled by the “green” gas stimulus of carbon dioxide

Article information

Article type
Feature Article
Submitted
06 মে 2014
Accepted
18 জুন 2014
First published
18 জুন 2014

Chem. Commun., 2014,50, 11631-11641

Author version available

Block copolymer self-assembly controlled by the “green” gas stimulus of carbon dioxide

Q. Yan and Y. Zhao, Chem. Commun., 2014, 50, 11631 DOI: 10.1039/C4CC03412K

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements