Hollow nanotubular toroidal polymer microrings

Nat Chem. 2014 Feb;6(2):97-103. doi: 10.1038/nchem.1833. Epub 2014 Jan 5.

Abstract

Despite the remarkable progress made in the self-assembly of nano- and microscale architectures with well-defined sizes and shapes, a self-organization-based synthesis of hollow toroids has, so far, proved to be elusive. Here, we report the synthesis of polymer microrings made from rectangular, flat and rigid-core monomers with anisotropically predisposed alkene groups, which are crosslinked with each other by dithiol linkers using thiol-ene photopolymerization. The resulting hollow toroidal structures are shape-persistent and mechanically robust in solution. In addition, their size can be tuned by controlling the initial monomer concentrations, an observation that is supported by a theoretical analysis. These hollow microrings can encapsulate guest molecules in the intratoroidal nanospace, and their peripheries can act as templates for circular arrays of metal nanoparticles.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Alkenes / chemistry
  • Anthraquinones / chemistry
  • Fullerenes / chemistry
  • Light
  • Metal Nanoparticles / chemistry
  • Models, Theoretical
  • Nanotubes / chemistry*
  • Nanotubes / ultrastructure
  • Nanotubes, Carbon / chemistry
  • Polymerization
  • Polymers / chemistry*
  • Silver / chemistry
  • Sulfhydryl Compounds / chemistry

Substances

  • Alkenes
  • Anthraquinones
  • Fullerenes
  • Nanotubes, Carbon
  • Polymers
  • Sulfhydryl Compounds
  • Silver
  • fullerene C60

Associated data

  • PubChem-Substance/170474734
  • PubChem-Substance/170474735
  • PubChem-Substance/170474736