title: Cubosomes from hierarchical self-assembly of poly(ionic liquid) block copolymers.
abstract: Cubosomes are micro- and nanoparticles with a bicontinuous cubic two-phase structure, reported for the self-assembly of low molecular weight surfactants, for example, lipids, but rarely formed by polymers. These objects are characterized by a maximum continuous interface and high interface to volume ratio, which makes them promising candidates for efficient adsorbents and host-guest applications. Here we demonstrate self-assembly to nanoscale cuboidal particles with a bicontinuous cubic structure by amphiphilic poly(ionic liquid) diblock copolymers, poly(acrylic acid)-block-poly(4-vinylbenzyl)-3-butyl imidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide, in a mixture of tetrahydrofuran and water under optimized conditions. Structure determining parameters include polymer composition and concentration, temperature, and the variation of the solvent mixture. The formation of the cubosomes can be explained by the hierarchical interactions of the constituent components. The lattice structure of the block copolymers can be transferred to the shape of the particle as it is common for atomic and molecular faceted crystals.
authors.affiliation: Center for Macromolecular Engineering, Department of Chemistry, Carnegie Mellon University, 4400 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, USA.
authors.forename: Hongkun
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: DWI-Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials, Forckenbeckstr. 50, Aachen 52074, Germany.
authors.forename: Khosrow
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rahimi
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06511, USA.
authors.forename: Mingjiang
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-7533-4708
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhong
authors.affiliation: DWI-Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials, Forckenbeckstr. 50, Aachen 52074, Germany.
authors.forename: Ahmed
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mourran
authors.affiliation: National Energy Technology Laboratory, United States Department of Energy, P.O. Box 10940, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15236, USA.
authors.forename: David R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Luebke
authors.affiliation: Center for Macromolecular Engineering, Department of Chemistry, Carnegie Mellon University, 4400 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, USA.|National Energy Technology Laboratory, United States Department of Energy, P.O. Box 10940, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15236, USA.
authors.forename: Hunaid B
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Nulwala
authors.affiliation: DWI-Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials, Forckenbeckstr. 50, Aachen 52074, Germany.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Möller
authors.affiliation: Center for Macromolecular Engineering, Department of Chemistry, Carnegie Mellon University, 4400 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, USA.
authors.forename: Krzysztof
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Matyjaszewski