Self-assembly synthetic polymers

Self-assembling synthetic polymers are currently an important, widely conducted topic of research they form a unique... 

This section has discussed a diverse range of self-assembled synthetic macromolecules such as block copolymers and elastm-like polymers for template-directed assembly of different types of inorganic nanoparticles into anisotropic ID nanostructures. In the next section, we introduce a simple and cost-effective approach for directing the assembly of gold nanoparticles into ID structures via self-assembly of a short commercially available surfactant. 

Similar to self-assembling synthetic and natural polymers, hard systems, such as silica-containing systems. 

Ashton, P.R., Philp, D., Spencer, N. and Stoddart, J.F. Self-Assembling Synthetic Supramolecular Polymers Makromol. Chem. In Press. 

To be successful in these applications, it is important that materials can self-assemble into precisely defined structures. Peptide-based polymers have many advantages over conventional synthetic polymers since they are able to hierarchically assemble into stable, ordered conformations [4]. Depending on the substituents of the amino acid side chain, polypeptides are able to adopt a multitude of... 

The unique power of synthesis is the ability to create new molecules and materials with valuable properties. This capacity can be used to interact with the natural world, as in the treatment of disease or the production of food, but it can also produce compounds and materials beyond the capacity of living systems. Our present world uses vast amounts of synthetic polymers, mainly derived from petroleum by synthesis. The development of nanotechnology, which envisions the application of properties at the molecular level to catalysis, energy transfer, and information management has focused attention on multimolecular arrays and systems capable of self-assembly. We can expect that in the future synthesis will bring into existence new substances with unique properties that will have impacts as profound as those resulting from syntheses of therapeutics and polymeric materials. 

Covalently connecting two incompatible polymers at their ends leads to a fascinating class of self-assembling materials [1]. Block copolymers constitute a well-studied and well-documented set of nanostructured hybrid materials [2], Many synthetic techniques are available for generating AB diblock, ABA triblock, ABC triblock and even more complicated block architectures [3,4], Furthermore, the thermodynamics governing the self-assembly... 

Synthetic lipids and peptides have been found to self-assemble into tubules [51,52]. Several groups have used these tubules as templates [17,51,53-56]. Much of this work has been the electroless deposition of metals [51,54]. Electrolessly plated Ni tubules were found to be effective field emission cathode sources [55]. Other materials templated in or on self-assembled lipid tubules include conducting polymer [56] and inorganic oxides [53]. Nanotubules from cellular cytoskeletons have also been used for electroless deposition of metals [57]. 

The self-assembling character of bilayer membranes is demonstrated by the formation of free-standing cast films from aqueous dispersions of synthetic bilayer membranes. The tendencies for association are sufficiently strong to allow the addition of guest molecules (nanoparticles, proteins, and various small molecules) to these films where the connective forces are secondary in nature and not primary. Synthetic polymer chemists have made use of these self-assembling tendencies to synthesize monolayer films. In particular, a monomer that contains both reactive groups and hydrophobic and hydrophilic areas is cast onto an appropriate template that self-assembles the monomer, holding it for subsequent polymerization. Thus, a bilayer structure is formed by... 

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