Nanostructured morphology

The examples discussed above illustrate the importance of block copolymer chain segment incompatibilities for the phase separation of bulk materials, combined with the ability to perform chemistry within specific nanoscale domains to impose permanence upon those self-assembled nanostructured morphologies. Each is limited, however, to crosslinking of internal domains within the solid-state assemblies in order to create discrete nanoscale objects. To advance the level of control over regioselective crosslinking and offer methodologies that allow for the production of additional unique nanostructured materials, the pre-assembled structures can be produced in solution (Figure 6.4), as isolated islands with reactivity allowed either internally or on the external... 

Gontrolled nanostructural morphology, in this case nanofibers with controlled length, was achieved by varying the ratio of the central repeating number of (Gin-Leu) and the flanking lysine residues. A variety of biophysical characterization methods indicated that the short, dispersed nanofibers formed by K2(QL)gK2 reached... 

For the large-scale production of new bio-surfactants [45] and, more recently, of sugar-containing self-assembled organogels with nanostructured morphologies [46]. 

Chen, S., W. Xing, J. Duan, X. Hu, and S. Z. Qiao. 2013. Nanostructured morphology control for efficient supercapacitor electrodes. Journal of Materials Chemistry A 1 2941-2954. 

Fig. 4.4 Effect of a chemical pattern

Nanostructured electrode morphologies can be used to address some of the intrinsic material s limitations and trade-offs mentioned above. The most obvious advantage of a nanostructured morphology is the increase in specific surface area. The concomitant increase in the number of surface sites greatly enhances the overall charge transfer kinetics at the semiconductor/electrolyte interface. 

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