Structural reorganization of cylindrical nanoparticles triggered by polylactide stereocomplexation

Liang Sun, Anaïs Pitto-Barry, Nigel Kirby, Tara L. Schiller, Ana M. Sanchez, M. Adam Dyson, Jeremy Sloan, Neil R. Wilson, Rachel K. O’Reilly () and Andrew P. Dove ()
Additional contact information
Liang Sun: University of Warwick
Anaïs Pitto-Barry: University of Warwick
Nigel Kirby: Australian Synchrotron
Tara L. Schiller: Monash University, Clayton
Ana M. Sanchez: University of Warwick
M. Adam Dyson: University of Warwick
Jeremy Sloan: University of Warwick
Neil R. Wilson: University of Warwick
Rachel K. O’Reilly: University of Warwick
Andrew P. Dove: University of Warwick

Nature Communications, 2014, vol. 5, issue 1, 1-9

Abstract: Abstract Co-crystallization of polymers with different configurations/tacticities provides access to materials with enhanced performance. The stereocomplexation of isotactic poly(L-lactide) and poly(D-lactide) has led to improved properties compared with each homochiral material. Herein, we report the preparation of stereocomplex micelles from a mixture of poly(L-lactide)-b-poly(acrylic acid) and poly(D-lactide)-b-poly(acrylic acid) diblock copolymers in water via crystallization-driven self-assembly. During the formation of these stereocomplex micelles, an unexpected morphological transition results in the formation of dense crystalline spherical micelles rather than cylinders. Furthermore, mixture of cylinders with opposite homochirality in either THF/H2O mixtures or in pure water at 65 °C leads to disassembly into stereocomplexed spherical micelles. Similarly, a transition is also observed in a related PEO-b-PLLA/PEO-b-PDLA system, demonstrating wider applicability. This new mechanism for morphological reorganization, through competitive crystallization and stereocomplexation and without the requirement for an external stimulus, allows for new opportunities in controlled release and delivery applications.

Date: 2014
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms6746 Abstract (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:natcom:v:5:y:2014:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms6746

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://www.nature.com/ncomms/

DOI: 10.1038/ncomms6746

Access Statistics for this article

Nature Communications is currently edited by Nathalie Le Bot, Enda Bergin and Fiona Gillespie

More articles in Nature Communications from Nature
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().