Tunable assembly of amphiphilic rod–coil block copolymers in solution

Abstract

This review covers the recent progress in the research field of rod–coil block copolymers (BCPs) containing rigid rod-like blocks and flexible coil-like blocks. Their assembly behaviors are fundamentally different from coil–coil BCPs in morphology because of the geometric disparity between the rod and coil segments and anisotropic interactions between rod blocks to form liquid crystalline or crystalline structures. Rod–coil BCPs can self-assemble into diverse nanostructures in selective solvents, such as micelles, cylinders, vesicles, tubules, belts, and rings. This review highlights valuable contributions in the past six years on the self-assembly behavior of rod–coil BCPs controlled by the volume fraction and the composition of the blocks from both the experimental and theoretical perspectives, and their tunable self-assembled nanostructures triggered by external stimuli, such as solvent, pH, temperature, light, and chemical additives. We also briefly introduce emerging applications of rod–coil nanoparticles in the biological field.