[Back]

E. Bianchi, I. Gârlea, B. Capone, L. Rovigatti, C. N. Likos:
"Hierarchical self-organization of soft patchy nanoparticles into morphologically diverse aggregates";
Current Opinion in Colloid & Interface Science, 30 (2017), 1; ##.

We present a concise review of the large variety of self-assembly scenarios observed in solutions of diblock copolymer stars with a solvophilic inner block and a solvophobic outer block. A variety of modeling approaches and simulation techniques at different levels of detail reveals that individual molecules assume configurations akin to patchy colloids, but with a patchiness that depends on physical parameters and can adjust to external stimuli such as temperature or pH. These soft, patchy building blocks inter-associate at finite concentrations into micellar or gel-like solutions, including spherical and wormlike micelles, or they display macroscopic phase separation. The connections between single-molecule conformation and the structure of the concentrated solution are discussed, and coarse-grained strategies for these novel molecular entities are critically compared to one another.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cocis.2017.03.008

Project Head Gerhard Kahl:
DFS