Thermoresponsive Self-Assembling Nanocomposites

Nanoparticles have significant potential for use in fields including photovoltaics and memory storage, but to realize this potential, their distribution must be finely controlled. We present here a verstile method to achieve such control, using a diblock copolymer supramolecule composed of polystyrene-block-poly(4-vinylpyridene) (PS-b-P4VP) and 3-pentadecylphenol (PDP). The PDP hydrogen bonds to the P4VP block, forming a comb block. This change in morphology causes the PS-b-P4VP(PDP) supramolecule to force the nanoparticles into well-organized rows one nanoparticles thick at the center of the P4VP(PDP) domains. Furthermore, the morphology of the supramolecule-nanoparticle composite changes with temperature as hydrogen bonding is broken and the PDP becomes soluble in the PS block. This provides a useful path for the production of polymer-based thermoresponsive nanocomposites.