Interfacial Supra-Assembly of Copolymer Nanoparticles Enables the Formation of Nanocomposite Crystals with a Tunable Internal Structure

Zhenghong Zhao; Wenting Chen; Qin Li; Biao Xiong; Yin Ning; Peihui Yang

doi:10.1021/jacs.3c07435

Interfacial Supra-Assembly of Copolymer Nanoparticles Enables the Formation of Nanocomposite Crystals with a Tunable Internal Structure

J Am Chem Soc. 2023 Oct 4;145(39):21546-21553. doi: 10.1021/jacs.3c07435. Epub 2023 Sep 25.

Authors

Zhenghong Zhao¹, Wenting Chen¹, Qin Li¹, Biao Xiong¹, Yin Ning¹, Peihui Yang²

Affiliations

¹ College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Functional Supramolecular Coordination Materials and Applications, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China.
² College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China.

PMID: 37748127
DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c07435

Abstract

It is highly desirable but technically challenging to precisely control the spatial composition and internal structure of crystalline nanocomposite materials, especially in a one-pot synthetic route. Herein, we demonstrate a versatile pathway to tune the spatial distribution of guest species within a host inorganic crystal via an incorporation strategy. Specifically, well-defined block copolymer nanoparticles, poly(methacrylic acid)_x-block-poly(styrene-alt-N-phenylmaleimide)_y [PMAA_x-P(St-alt-NMI)_y], are synthesized by polymerization-induced self-assembly. Such anionic nanoparticles can supra-assemble onto the surface of larger cationic nanoparticles via an electrostatic interaction, forming colloidal nanocomposite particles (CNPs). Remarkably, such CNPs can be incorporated into calcite single crystals in a spatially controlled manner: the depth of CNPs incorporation into calcite is tunable. Systematic investigation indicates that this interesting phenomenon is governed by the colloidal stability of CNPs, which in turn is dictated by the PMAA_x-P(St-alt-NMI)_y adsorption density and calcium ion concentration. This study opens up a general and efficient route for the preparation of a wide range of crystalline nanocomposite materials with a controlled internal composition and structure.