Single component and bifunctional nanoparticles using a star-like triblock copolymer template.

摘要

Nanomaterials have gained increasing attention in the past several decades due to the unique properties that occur in that scale, but not in the bulk material. One popular method for synthesizing nanoparticles is ligands or copolymer micelle templates. Block copolymer templates act as stabilizing agents that control the growth rate, morphology, crystal structure, and size distribution of the particles during the reaction.;Using the liquid phase polymer template method, three different types of core nanoparticles, cadmium selenide, gold, and iron oxide, were synthesized using a 21-armed star-like triblock copolymer template of P4VP-b-PtBA-b-PS. Each was 6 nanometers in diameter, as dictated by the inner chain length of the triblock. In addition, all of the particles were single crystal and began to self-assemble on the substrate when cast from a droplet.;The middle block was then hydrolyzed to PAA to allow for synthesis of a shell component. 6-nanometer, crystalline shells were formed using the same lower temperature methods as the core components using non-epitaxial growth. The bifunctional nanoparticles made were CdSe/Au, Au/CdSe, and Fe 3O4/CdSe. Each had quenching due to the thick outer shell, but future work will investigate to see if thinner shells from shorter middle block chains can be reduce the quenching effect.