Self-assembly of mesoscopic metal-polymer amphiphiles.

Park, Sungho; Lim, Jung-Hyurk; Chung, Sung-Wook; Mirkin, Chad A · Science · 2004

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

The assembly properties of two- and three-component rod-like building blocks consisting of gold and polymer block domains have been investigated. These structures behave like mesoscopic amphiphiles and form a series of single-layer superstructures consisting of bundles, tubes, and sheets depending upon the compositional periodicity. Unlike molecular systems, the template used to initially synthesize them plays a critical role in the assembly process by prealigning them in a manner that facilitates their assembly by optimizing the correct collisional orientation upon dissolution of the template. Tubular structures with tailorable diameters can be assembled in a predictable manner on the basis of an estimate of the hybrid rod packing parameters.