A zipper-assembly of micelles into 2D/3D coatings is reported. Block copolymer micelles that incorporate a poly(n-octadecyl methacrylate) block are zipped and unzipped on demand onto a PMMA surface. The mechanism implies an interdigitation of molecular brushes enabling 15 nm micelles to be assembled into monolayers or multilayers.
Keywords: block copolymers; coatings; micelles; reversible assembly; zippers.
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