Self-Encapsulation Effect

The self-encapsulation effect is successful in interpreting the stability of FET. However, this effect is not suitable to reveal the mechanism of enhanced conductivity of SP/IP composite as compared with corresponding pure semiconducting polymer, because for the conductivity, doping is necessary. 

Bulk 3-D Interface and Reduced Polarization of Matrix at Interface 

From morphological point of view, P3BT usually adopts nanowire-like appearance with a width of 15 nm and a thickness of 5 nm. The variation of these two-dimensional parameters is usually very limited and insensitive to crystallization conditions [9, 11, 24]. So during charge transport along nanowire 

Based on the above analysis and interpretation, we can tentatively propose the morphological criteria for enhanced electrical properties (i) semiconducting phase in composite should be morphologically continuous (ii) in order to supply enough tv o-phase interfacial area, the phase separation of SP/IP composite should be on the nanometer scale. These criteria can be used to conduct the further optimization of SP/IP composite for electronic application. 

---

The sol-gel procedure enables encapsulation of enzymes in optically transparent, porous silicate matrices, under mild room-temperature conditions. The small pores prevent microbial degradation and, due to the biomolecule size, they will not diffuse out of the polymer network. The physical encapsulation avoids self-aggregation effects as well as protein unfolding and denaturalization. At the same time, the catalytic activity is maintained as the enzymes are able to react with small substrates that can transfer across or within the support, assuring continuous transformations [75]. 

Dendrimers usually exhibit spherical (isotropic) shape. However, wedge-like dendrimer fragments ( dendrons ) that have been attached to linear polymers as side groups can be used to create anisotropic nanocylinders , leading to uncoiling and extension of the polymer chains. Synthetic macromolecules of this type can be visualized directly on surfaces and their contour length determined from the images. Unexpected acceleration effects in the self-encapsulated polymerization of dendron monomers used to prepare such polymers as well as the structural consequences of dendritic pieces of cake on linear polymer chains are discussed. 

Figure 2. Dependence of self-as.sembly of dendronized polymer chains on the degree of polymerization monomers and short polymer chains assemble in spheres longer chains assemble in cylinders. This effect leads to rapid polymerization of such dendron monomers due to self-encapsulation [21],...

Liu J, Haynes D, Balliet C, Zhang R, Kowalewski T, McCullough RD (2012) Self encapsulated poly(3-hexylthiophene)-poly(fluorinated alkyl methacrylate) rod-coil block copolymers with high field effect mobilities on bare Sio2. Adv Funct Mater 22 1024-1032... 

We have found that dendrimers can be used to encapsulate active moieties, thereby preventing them from interacting. This passivation effect limits inter-molecular interactions such as self-aggregation and molecular clustering. We also found that dendrimers can be made dipolar. This asymmetry in molecular orientation enables dendrimers to be used in NLO. In this chapter we describe our application of dendrimers to lasers and NLO. 

In the meantime, the intense study of the simpler vesicle systems has unravelled novel, unsuspected physicochemical aspects - for example growth, fusion and fission, the matrix effect, self-reproduction, the effect of osmotic pressure, competition, encapsulation of enzymes, and complex biochemical reactions, as will be seen in the next chapter. Of course the fact that vesicles are viewed under the perspective of biological cell models renders these findings of great interest. In particular, one tends immediately to ask the question, whether and to what extent they might be relevant for the origin of life and the development of the early cells. In fact, the basic studies outlined in this chapter can be seen as the prelude to the use of vesicles as cell models, an aspect that we will considered in more detail in the next chapter. 

---