Cubosomes from hierarchical self-assembly of poly(ionic liquid) block copolymers

Hongkun He, Khosrow Rahimi, Mingjiang Zhong, Ahmed Mourran, David R. Luebke, Hunaid B. Nulwala (), Martin Möller () and Krzysztof Matyjaszewski ()
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Hongkun He: Center for Macromolecular Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University
Khosrow Rahimi: DWI-Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials
Mingjiang Zhong: Yale University
Ahmed Mourran: DWI-Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials
David R. Luebke: National Energy Technology Laboratory
Hunaid B. Nulwala: Center for Macromolecular Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University
Martin Möller: DWI-Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials
Krzysztof Matyjaszewski: Center for Macromolecular Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University

Nature Communications, 2017, vol. 8, issue 1, 1-8

Abstract: Abstract Cubosomes are micro- and nanoparticles with a bicontinuous cubic two-phase structure, reported for the self-assembly of low molecular weight surfactants, for example, lipids, but rarely formed by polymers. These objects are characterized by a maximum continuous interface and high interface to volume ratio, which makes them promising candidates for efficient adsorbents and host-guest applications. Here we demonstrate self-assembly to nanoscale cuboidal particles with a bicontinuous cubic structure by amphiphilic poly(ionic liquid) diblock copolymers, poly(acrylic acid)-block-poly(4-vinylbenzyl)-3-butyl imidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide, in a mixture of tetrahydrofuran and water under optimized conditions. Structure determining parameters include polymer composition and concentration, temperature, and the variation of the solvent mixture. The formation of the cubosomes can be explained by the hierarchical interactions of the constituent components. The lattice structure of the block copolymers can be transferred to the shape of the particle as it is common for atomic and molecular faceted crystals.

Date: 2017
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms14057

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