Self-assembling polymer with structured

Figure 14.4 Primary sequence and molecular model of a coiled coil dimer and self-assembled polymer with the hydrophobic interface highhghted. The final bundle fiber structure is shown at the bottom. Reprinted from Wagner et al. (2005). Copyright 2005 National Academy of Sciences.

Delnoye, D.A.P. et al., Pi-conjugated oligomers and polymers with a self-assembled ladder-like structure, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 118, 8717-8718, 1996. 

These templates can also be combined with other porogens (such as self-assembled polymers) or techniques to obtain hierarchical pore systems or structured materials on a number of length scales. Examples demonstrating the extension of simple templating to more complex structural control will also be given. 

Block co-polymers exhibit outstanding potential for a variety of applications as a result of their self-assembly into supramolecular structures (see Section 1.2.4). However, the exploration of organometallic multi-block materials was only begun in the early 1990s. Block co-polymers derived from the living anionic polymerization of vinylferrocene have been already briefly mentioned in Section 12.06.2.2.l.(i). In this section, side-chain metal-containing block co-polymers are surveyed. Examples of block co-polymers with metals in the main chain are discussed in Section 3.X. 

Polymersomes, self-assembled polymer shells composed of block copolymer amphiphiles. These synthetic amphiphiles with amphiphilicity similar to lipids constitute a new class of drug carriers. They are spontaneously formed in aqueous media, as unilamellar vesicles up to tens of microns in diameter. Amphiphilic block copolymers form a range of self-assembled aggregates including spherical, rod-like, tubular micelles, lamellae, or vesicles, depending on polymer architectnre and preparation conditions. Polymers having low hydrophobicity (less than 50%) favor the formation of micelles, however, intermediate level of hydrophobicity (50%-80%) favors the formation of vesicles. Polymeric vesicles, which have a liposome-like structure with a hydrophobic polymer membrane and hydrophilic inner cavity, are called polymersomes. 

Self-assembled coordination supramolecular structures encompass both discrete and polymeric types in a range of synthetic areas. Although coordination polymers, two- and three-dimensional coordination networks, polynuclear metal clusters (with primarily metal-metal or /r-oxo or... 

Cationic polymers are defined as polyelectrolytes cariying positive charges, and they are either derived from natural sources such as chitosan, or chemically synthesized where the charges have been incorporated on their backbone and/or side chains. They may also exist as block copolymers, where one of the blocks is decorated with positive charges. When these block copolymers consist of a hydrophobic block, they readily undergo self-assembly in aqueous solutions and form micellar structures with a positively charged surface. Similarly, if the block copolymer consists of two hydrophobic blocks, one at each end, the system may self-assemble into network structures called hydrogels, which are water-rich 3D interconnected networks. 

Abstract This review is dedicated to nanohybrid materials consisting of a polymer-based matrix and a disperse nanoscaled ceramic phase. Different preparation techniques for the synthesis of polymer-ceramic nanohybrid materials will be presented, such as blending techniques, sol-gel processing, in-situ polymeriza-ti(Mi, and self-assembly methods. Selected structural and functional properties of polymer-ceramic nanohybrid materials will be highlighted and discussed within the context of their dependence on parameters such as the homogeneity of the dispersion of the ceramic throughout the polymer matrix, the particle size of the ceramic phase, and the polymer-ceramic interface. Moreover, some advanced applications of polymer-ceramic nanohybrid materials will be addressed and compared with their polymeric counterparts. 

Literature reviews describing experimental and/or theoretical polymer-polymer assembly is abundant and diversified regarding the nature of the polymers and physicochemical conditions used and the supramolecular structures obtained [29-35]. In this review, we will focus on recent data on food protein assembly. After a description of the structure and main properties of some important food proteins, we wiU describe first the protein-induced assemblies that lead to regular supramolecular structures and, in a second part the spontaneous protein self-assembly potential with a special emphasis on systems containing more than one protein. 

The polydisperse nature of hyperbranched materials would seem to make them ill-suited to the spontaneous self-assembly of precise structures. However, in 2004, Yan and coworkers demonstrated the assembly of hyperbranched materials into macroscopic objects. The structurally simple polymers were based on the known hyperbranched poly(3-ethyl-3-oxetanemelhanol) core (blue in 51, Figure 16), which was modified with oligo-ethyleneglycol arms. Stirring 51 in acetone, which is a... 

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