Small-Molecule Modulation of Soft-Matter Frank-Kasper Phases: A Method for Adding Function to Form

Kätchen K Lachmayr; Lawrence R Sita

doi:10.1002/anie.201915416

Small-Molecule Modulation of Soft-Matter Frank-Kasper Phases: A Method for Adding Function to Form

Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2020 Feb 24;59(9):3563-3567. doi: 10.1002/anie.201915416. Epub 2020 Jan 29.

Authors

Kätchen K Lachmayr¹, Lawrence R Sita¹

Affiliation

¹ Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA.

PMID: 31860757
DOI: 10.1002/anie.201915416

Abstract

Incorporation of small amounts of α-tocopherol (vitamin E) in blends with the cellobiose-triazole-linked atactic poly(4-methyl-1-pentene) (CB-aPMP) sugar-polyolefin conjugate can be used to exert external control over thermotropic phase behavior and provide access to non-canonical soft matter Frank-Kasper A15 and σ phases. These results establish a paradigm that can be used for the further design and development of scalable quantities of soft matter FK phases of increased structural complexity and functional capability.

Keywords: Frank-Kasper phases; molecular modulation; self-assembly; sugar-polyolefin conjugate; vitamin E.