A Versatile 3D-Confined Self-Assembly Strategy for Anisotropic and Ordered Mesoporous Carbon Microparticles

Recent Progress on Preparation of Anisotropic Block Copolymer Particles Self-Assembled in 3D Emulsion Droplets

Self-assembly of block copolymers (BCPs) into anisotropic colloidal particles within 3D emulsion droplets has attracted considerable interest since the confined assembly in deformable geometries offers significant potential for designing and constructing specific anisotropic polymer materials for various applications. By precisely controlling the deformation of emulsion droplets, nucleation, and deposition sequence of BCP segments at the oil/water interface, various anisotropic polymer assembly particles with tunable shapes and internal structures can be generated. This review summarizes the recent advancements in the design and formation of anisotropic polymer assembly particles via confined assembly of BCPs, including an overview of emulsification techniques and methods, the regulation of particle shapes and internal structures, as well as the diverse applications of resulting anisotropic particles. Typically, the regulation of anisotropic shapes can be achieved through experimental approaches, such as the volume ratio and interactions between blocks, surfactant selectivity, crystallization-induced deformation, stimuli-responsive additives, evaporation rate, post-annealing, confinement degree, and disassembly of prepared polymer colloids. Finally, the further perspectives and challenges in the construction anisotropic functional polymer materials are discussed.

Ordered Mesoporous Carbon Featuring Single-Crystal Morphology and Tunable Pore Architectures via EtOH-Mediated Micelle Assembly

The precise control of reaction kinetics and the synchronous regulation of the micelle assembly in the soft-templating method for synthesizing ordered mesoporous carbon presents a significant challenge. In this study, a versatile ethanol-mediated self-assembly strategy is introduced to synthesize ordered mesoporous carbons (OMCs) with diverse morphologies and well-defined mesostructures using liquefied wood (LW). Ethanol functions as both a proton-trapping agent and a linker between carbon precursors and templates, enabling fine-tuned regulation of the self-assembly kinetics while providing additional hydrogen bonding interactions. Furthermore, the micelle structure can be precisely manipulated from cylindrical to spherical through ethanol-induced selective swelling of hydrophilic blocks, resulting in a reduction in packing parameter (p) from 1/3 < (p) < 1/2 to (p) ≤ 1/3. Notably, the spherical composite micelles self-assemble into single crystals with highly ordered body-centered mesostructures. The fabricated ordered mesoporous carbon single crystal (OMCSC) electrochemical sensing polymers exhibit absolute enantiomeric discrimination for L- and D-tryptophan. This EtOH-mediated self-assembly approach not only elucidates the role of ethanol in the self-assembly process but also offers a promising pathway for fabricating versatile OMCs from renewable biomass resources.

Bifunctional additive-driven shape transitions of block copolymer particles through synergistic quaternization and protonation

Block copolymer (BCP) particles with tailored shapes and nanostructures hold promise for applications in cell adhesion, photonic system, and energy storage due to their unique optical and rheological properties. Conventional approaches relying on surfactant-mediated self-assembly often limit particle geometries to simple structures. Herein, we present a versatile approach to expand the morphology of poly(styrene-block-2-vinylpyridine) (PS-b-P2VP) BCP particles through the incorporation of 9-bromononanoic acid (BNA), a bifunctional additive that facilitates synergistic quaternization and protonation. Increasing the BNA-to-2VP molar ratio enhances P2VP hydrophilicity and decreases the pH value, driving dramatic shape transitions from onion-like spheres to tulip bulbs, ellipsoids, discs, and Janus cups. This morphological diversity is attributed to synergetic interfacial instability-driven water infiltration and pH-induced repulsion of protonated P2VP chains. Additives with a single functional group, however, yield limited morphologies, such as tulip bulbs or onion-like spheres. Notably, Janus cups fabricated via this strategy exhibit selective cargo-loading capabilities, highlighting the importance of precise control over the internal composition and structure of BCP particles.

Neutral Interface Directed 3D Confined Self-Assembly of Block Copolymer: Anisotropic Patterned Particles with Ordered Structures

Three-dimensional confined self-assembly (3D-CSA) of block copolymers (BCPs) is a distinctive and robust strategy that can yield colloidal polymer particles boasting ordered internal structures and diverse morphologies. The unique advantage of neutral interface lies in its ability to create anisotropic particles with surface patterns. The resulting unique polymer particles exhibit deformability under swelling, coupled with excellent spreadability and optical properties. These particles can also be used for fabrication of anisotropic nanoobjects or mesoporous particles via disassembly or serving as templates. This review comprehensively outlines the research advancements in neutral interface-guided 3D-CSA systems, including surfactant engineering, internal structure control, properties and future possibilities of anisotropic patterned particles.

Anisotropic conductive scaffolds for post-infarction cardiac repair

Myocardial infarction (MI) remains one of the most common and lethal cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), leading to the deterioration of cardiac function due to myocardial cell necrosis and fibrous scar tissue formation. Myocardial infarction (MI) remains one of the most common and lethal cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), leading to the deterioration of cardiac function due to myocardial cell necrosis and fibrous scar tissue formation. After MI, the anisotropic structural properties of myocardial tissue are destroyed, and its mechanical and electrical microenvironment also undergoes a series of pathological changes, such as ventricular wall stiffness, abnormal contraction, conduction network disruption, and irregular electrical signal propagation, which may further induce myocardial remodeling and even lead to heart failure. Therefore, bionic reconstruction of the anisotropic structural-mechanical-electrical microenvironment of the infarct area is key to repairing damaged myocardium. This article first summarizes the pathological changes in muscle fibre structure and conductive microenvironment after cardiac injury, and focuses on the classification and preparation methods of anisotropic conductive materials. In addition, the effects of these anisotropic conductive materials on the behavior of cardiac resident cells after myocardial infarction, such as directional growth, maturation, proliferation and migration, and the differentiation fate of stem cells and the possible molecular mechanisms involved are summarized. The design strategies for anisotropic conductive scaffolds for myocardial repair in future clinical research are also discussed, with the aim of providing new insights for researchers in related fields.

A dual-template synergistic assembly strategy towards the synthesis of extra-small nitrogen-doped mesoporous carbon nanospheres with large pores

Functional mesoporous carbon nanomaterials with large pores and small particle sizes have broad accessibility, but remain challenging to achieve. This study proposed a dual-template synergistic assembly strategy to facilely synthesize extra-small nitrogen-doped mesoporous carbon nanospheres with large pores in a low-cost manner. Directed by the synergistic effect of the combination of surfactants, sodium oleate (anionic surfactant) and triblock copolymer-P123 (nonionic surfactant) were selected as templates to construct nanomicelles (nanoemulsions), which were co-assembled with melamine-based oligomers to form composite nanomicelles, thus obtaining nitrogen-doped mesoporous polymer nanospheres (NMePS) and then nitrogen-doped mesoporous carbon nanospheres (NMeCS). Based on Schiff base chemistry, the melamine-based oligomers with self-assembly capability were synthesized as precursors, which is different from the conventional synthetic route of melamine-formaldehyde resin. The key parameters involved in the route were investigated comprehensively and correlated with the characterization results. Furthermore, the 50 nm-scale particle size and the large mesoporous size of 5.5 nm of NMeCS can facilitate effective mass transport, coupled with their high nitrogen content (15.7 wt%), contributing to their excellent performance in lithium-ion batteries.

Pathway-dependent Shape Transformation of Polymeric Vesicles under UV Light and the Assembly of UV-irradiated Polymer

Shape transformation of polymer particles is generally a nonequilibrium dynamics process. Controlling the shape transformation of polymers is increasingly attractive and challenging for scientists due to their extensive use in drug delivery and cancer therapy. Herein, we investigated the UV-triggered shape transformation pathway of polymeric vesicles assembled from Polystyrene-block-poly(4-vinylpyridine) and 4-hydroxyazobenzene (PS-b-P4VP(Azo-OH)) and the direct assembly pathway of UV-irradiated PS-b-P4VP(Azo-OH) homogeneous solution. In the shape transformation process, well-assembled vesicles can be transformed into toroid, cylindrical, rod-like, and spherical micelles. In the direct assembly pathway, rod-like and spherical micelles can be obtained. Interestingly, the toroid micelles can be obtained only from the UV-triggered shape transformation pathway. Contrasting the two pathways reveals the pathway dependence of PS-b-P4VP(Azo-OH) assembly, suggesting that the final assembly morphology is determined by the initial state and dynamic process. The speed of UV-triggered shape transformation and the final morphology of assemblies can be tuned easily by adjusting the UV illuminance, time, and content of Azo-OH addition. Moreover, the light-responsive polymeric vesicles can be used as drug carriers and have the potential to release drugs precisely.

Well-Ordered Nanoparticles/Block Copolymer Nanosheets with a Controllable Location of Nanoparticles

Precisely controlling the spatial distributions and arrangements of metal nanoparticles (NPs) into block copolymers is of great importance for fabricating novel nanomaterials with the desired optical and electronic properties. Herein, we develop a simple yet versatile strategy to prepare organic/inorganic nanosheets formed by the coassembly of polystyrene-block-poly(4-vinylpyridine) (PS-b-P4VP) and PS tethered gold nanoparticles (AuNPs@PS) within emulsion droplets. The arrangement of the AuNPs@PS building blocks within the block copolymers (BCP)/AuNPs nanosheets can be adjusted by tuning the effective size ratio (λeff), which can be controlled by the core diameter of the AuNPs and the molecular weight of the PS. Furthermore, the content of the AuNPs is also another essential parameter to manipulate the structures of the nanosheets with the specific λeff. Thus, the BCP/AuNPs hybrid nanosheets with controllable distributions and arrangements of the AuNPs were successfully prepared via tuning of λeff and the content of AuNPs. This study provides a facile way to fabricate well-ordered hybrid nanosheets.

Impact of channel nanostructures of porous carbon particles on their catalytic performance

Mesoporous carbon particles have great potential due to their unique structural properties as support materials for catalytic applications. Particle shapes and channel nanostructures of mesoporous carbon particles can determine the reactant/product transport efficiency. However, the role of the channel nanostructure in the catalytic reaction has not been much explored. Herein, we introduce a facile method to fabricate a series of porous carbon particles (PCPs) with controlled channel exposure on the carbon surface and investigate the impact of the channel nanostructure of the PCPs on the catalytic activity. By employing a membrane emulsification method with a controlled solvent evaporation rate, we fabricate block copolymer (BCP) particles with uniform size and regulated degrees of cylindrical channel exposed to the particle surface. Followed by the carbonization of the BCP particles, a low amount (1.3 wt%) of Pt is incorporated into the PCP series to investigate the impact of channel nanostructures on the catalytic oxidation reaction of o-phenylenediamine (OPD). Specifically, PCP featuring highly open channel nanostructures shows a high reaction rate constant of 0.154 mM-1 s-1 for OPD oxidation, showing 5.5 times higher catalytic activity than those of closed channel nanostructures (0.028 mM-1 s-1). This study provides a deeper understanding of the impact of channel nanostructure within mesoporous carbon particles on catalytic activity.

Morphological Evolution of Hybrid Block Copolymer Particles: Toward Magnetic Responsive Particles

The co-assembly of block copolymers (BCPs) and inorganic nanoparticles (NPs) under emulsion confinement allows facile access to hybrid polymeric colloids with controlled hierarchical structures. Here, the effect of inorganic NPs on the structure of the hybrid BCP particles and the local distribution of NPs are studied, with a particular focus on comparing Au and Fe3O4 NPs. To focus on the effect of the NP core, Au and Fe3O4 NPs stabilized with oleyl ligands were synthesized, having a comparable diameter and grafting density. The confined co-assembly of symmetric polystyrene-b-poly(1,4-butadiene) (PS-b-PB) BCPs and NPs in evaporative emulsions resulted in particles with various morphologies including striped ellipsoids, onion-like particles, and their intermediates. The major difference in PS-b-PB/Au and PS-b-PB/Fe3O4 particles was found in the distribution of NPs inside the particles that affected the overall particle morphology. Au NPs were selectively localized inside PB domains with random distributions regardless of the particle morphology. Above the critical volume fraction, however, Au NPs induced the morphological transition of onion-like particles into ellipsoids by acting as an NP surfactant. For PS-b-PB/Fe3O4 ellipsoids, Fe3O4 NPs clustered and segregated to the particle/surrounding interface of the ellipsoids even at a low volume fraction, while Fe3O4 NPs were selectively localized in the middle of PB domains in a string-like pattern for PS-b-PB/Fe3O4 onion-like particles.

Structure-Controlled Carbon Hosts for Dendrite-Free Aqueous Zinc Batteries

The surging demand for environmental-friendly and safe electrochemical energy storage systems has driven the development of aqueous zinc (Zn)-ion batteries (ZIBs). However, metallic Zn anodes suffer from severe dendrite growth and large volume change, resulting in a limited lifetime for aqueous ZIB applications. Here, it is shown that 3D mesoporous carbon (MC) with controlled carbon and defect configurations can function as a highly reversible and dendrite-free Zn host, enabling the stable operation of aqueous ZIBs. The MC host has a structure-controlled architecture that contains optimal sp2 -carbon and defect sites, which results in an improved initial nucleation energy barrier and promotes uniform Zn deposition. As a consequence, the MC host shows outstanding Zn plating/stripping performance over 1000 cycles at 2 mA cm-2 and over 250 cycles at 6 mA cm-2 in asymmetric cells. Density functional theory calculations further reveal the role of the defective sp2 -carbon surface in Zn adsorption energy. Moreover, a full cell based on Zn@MC900 anode and V2 O5 cathode exhibits remarkable rate performance and cycling stability over 3500 cycles. These results establish a structure-mechanism-performance relationship of the carbon host as a highly reversible Zn anode for the reliable operation of ZIBs.