Fabrication of convex lens-shaped polymer particles by tuning the interfacial interaction

Abstract

In this communication, we report a facile yet effective approach to fabricate polystyrene-b-poly(4-vinyl pyridine) (PS-b-P4VP) convex lens (CL)-like microparticles with hexagonally stacked cylindrical P4VP domains via three-dimensional confined assembly. Addition of a hydrogen bonding agent, 3-n-pentadecylphenol (PDP), not only changes the volume fraction of the P4VP domain, but also alters the interfacial interactions between the blocks and the surfactant. A neutral interface could be created by tuning the content of PDP, resulting in the formation of CL-like microparticles. Selective swelling and then deswelling of these particles offers us a convenient way to synthesize isoporous particles with tunable pore size, potentially useful in ultrafiltration with high selectivity.