Nanoscale architecture in synthetic composite

摘要

Using microscopic self-assembly processes, nature often weaves dissimilar materials—each with ordinary properties—into composite materials that have remarkable characteristics. Brittle calcium phosphate and jellylike collagen, for instance, combine to form rugged, lightweight bone. Shell, dentin, and tendon are simi-larly constructed. If chemists could operate at nature's level of sophistication, they could prepare unique materials with customized properties by integrating synthetic materials with special chemical or physical properties. Now, a method for synthesizing polymer-based composites has been shown to produce highly ordered materials with nanometer-scale architecture. The technique combines liquid-crystal self-assembly and polymer chemistry [J. Am. Chem. Soc., 119, 4092 (1997)].