Hydrogen bonding strength of diblock copolymers affects the self-assembled structures with octa-functionalized phenol POSS nanoparticles.

In this study, the influence of the functional groups by the diblock copolymers of poly(styrene-b-4-vinylpyridine) (PS-b-P4VP), poly(styrene-b-2-vinylpyridine) (PS-b-P2VP), and poly(styrene-b-methyl methacrylate) (PS-b-PMMA) on their blends with octa-functionalized phenol polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (OP-POSS) nanoparticles (NPs) was investigated. The relative hydrogen bonding strengths in these blends follow the order PS-b-P4VP/OP-POSS > PS-b-P2VP/OP-POSS > PS-b-PMMA/OP-POSS based on the Kwei equation from differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic analyses. Small-angle X-ray scattering and transmission electron microscopic analyses show that the morphologies of the self-assembly structures are strongly dependent on the hydrogen bonding strength at relatively higher OP-POSS content.

Direct Assembly of Mesoporous Silica Functionalized with Polypeptides for Efficient Dye Adsorption.

Herein, we introduce a new polypeptide-functionalized mesoporous silica template fabricated from a biodegradable poly(ethylene oxide-b-ɛ-caprolactone) (PEO-b-PCL) diblock copolymer and a poly(tyrosine) (PTyr) biopolymer. The crystallization behavior of the PEO-b-PCL diblock copolymer changes after blending, but the secondary structure of PTry remains stable. After selective solvent extraction in THF, the PEO-b-PCL is removed, but PTyr remains within the silica matrix due to its different solubility.