Stacks of correlated polymer lamellar crystals as platform for functional assemblies
Polymer Materials
Final Report Abstract
In our work, we have shown that the local morphology of stacked polymer single crystals can be modified by a local irradiation approach. The introduced fluorescence groups on polymer chain ends enabled convenient observation of chain behavior based on emission intensity. We found that the heated region on stacked single crystals evolved into empty holes. This process was investigated in real-time, revealing a competition of mechanisms of quenching of TPE through local melting and increased fluorescence from TPE groups by generating higher stacks of PEG lamellae through recrystallization at the border of the molten regions. On the basis of our experimental results and the corresponding analysis, we believe that it is possible to develop microscopically patterned and subsequently further functionalized polymer single crystals. Based on our approach of local heating of stacks of lamellar polymer crystals, we are able to literally write or print letters into crystals of polymers. We demonstrated the feasibility of our approach by preparing all capital letters of the alphabet on single crystals of PEG-TPE. This “writing technology” can be applied to store/read information from a very small area (micrometers) with good spatial resolution. More importantly, such well-designed 3D single crystals can act as a micro-container for chemical reactions, drug release, cell culture, and so on. In a future study, we plan to enhance the precision of temperature adjustment in order to obtain precise control over polymer nucleation and crystal growth.
Publications
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A nucleation mechanism leading to stacking of lamellar crystals in polymer thin films. Polymer International, 69(11), 1058-1065.
Majumder, Sumit; Poudel, Purushottam; Zhang, Hui; Xu, Jun & Reiter, Günter
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Controlling the Growth of Stacks of Correlated Lamellar Crystals of a Block Copolymer. Macromolecules, 52(24), 9665-9671.
Majumder, Sumit; Reiter, Renate; Xu, Jun & Reiter, Günter
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Determination of the Critical Size of Secondary Nuclei on the Lateral Growth Front of Lamellar Polymer Crystals. Macromolecules, 52(19), 7439-7447.
Zhang, Shujing; Han, Jiarui; Gao, Yang; Guo, Baohua; Reiter, Günter & Xu, Jun
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Estimation of the Size of Critical Secondary Nuclei of Melt-Grown Poly(l-lactide) Lamellar Crystals. Macromolecules, 53(9), 3482-3492.
Zhang, Shujing; Guo, Baohua; Reiter, Günter & Xu, Jun
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Concepts of Nucleation in Polymer Crystallization. Crystals, 11(3), 304.
Xu, Jun; Reiter, Günter & Alamo, Rufina
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Controlled Switching from the Growth of Monolamellar Polymer Crystals to the Formation of Stacks of Uniquely Oriented Lamellae. Macromolecules, 54(17), 8135-8142.
Chen, Weixiang; Bessif, Brahim; Reiter, Renate; Xu, Jun & Reiter, Günter
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Formation of Stacked Three-Dimensional Polymer “Single Crystals”. Macromolecules, 54(10), 4918-4925.
Guo, Zhixin; Yan, Shouke & Reiter, Günter
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Secondary nucleation in polymer crystallization: A kinetic view. POLYMER CRYSTALLIZATION, 4(3).
Zhang, Shujing; Wang, Zhiqi; Guo, Baohua & Xu, Jun
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Self-Seeding Procedure for Obtaining Stacked Block Copolymer Lamellar Crystals in Solution. Polymers, 13(11), 1676.
Bessif, Brahim; Pfohl, Thomas & Reiter, Günter
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In Situ Dissolution and Swelling of Confined Lamellar Polymer Crystals through Exposure to Humid Air. Macromolecules, 55(14), 6015-6022.
Bessif, Brahim; Pfohl, Thomas; Heck, Barbara; Alshetwi, Yaser; Khechine, Emna; Xu, Jun & Reiter, Günter
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Primary Nucleation in Metastable Solutions of Poly(3-hexylthiophene). Macromolecules, 55(8), 3325-3334.
Wu, Tianyu; Chandran, Sivasurender; Zhang, Yao; Zheng, Tianze; Pfohl, Thomas; Xu, Jun & Reiter, Günter
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Quantitative contribution of each component to secondary nucleation in the blends of homopolymer and its random copolymers. Polymer, 245, 124735.
Zhang, Shujing; Wu, Tianyu; Wang, Zhiqi; Han, Jiarui; Guo, Baohua & Xu, Jun
