title: Dual-Phase Separation in a Semiconfined System: Monodispersed Heterogeneous Block-Copolymer Membranes for Cell Encoding and Patterning.
abstract: Block copolymers (BCPs) have the capacity to self-assemble into a myriad of well-defined aggregate structures, offering great promise for the construction of drug delivery, photolithographic templates, and complex nanoscale assemblies. A uniqueness of these materials is their propensity to become kinetically frozen in non-equilibrium states, implying that the process of self-assembly can be utilized to remodel the resulting structures. Here, a new semiconfined system for processing the BCP self-assembly is constructed, in which an unusual dual-phase separation occurs, including nonsolvent-induced microphase separation and osmotically driven macrophase separation, ultimately yielding heterogeneous BCP membranes. These membranes with cellular dimensions show unique anisotropy that can be used for cell encoding and patterning, which are highly relevant to biology and medicine. This processing method not only provides new levels of tailorability to the structures and encapsulated contents of BCP assemblies, but can also be generalized to other block polymers, particularly those with attractive electronic and/or optical properties.
authors.affiliation: Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Science, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, North First Street 2, Zhongguancun, Beijing, 100190, China.|School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
authors.forename: Xiuyu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Beijing Laboratory of Biomedical Materials, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China.
authors.forename: Xueyan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.affiliation: Beijing Laboratory of Biomedical Materials, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China.
authors.forename: Guiping
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Science, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, North First Street 2, Zhongguancun, Beijing, 100190, China.|School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
authors.forename: Di
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Science, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, North First Street 2, Zhongguancun, Beijing, 100190, China.|School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
authors.forename: Yahong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chai
authors.affiliation: Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Science, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, North First Street 2, Zhongguancun, Beijing, 100190, China.|School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
authors.forename: Maofa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ge
authors.affiliation: Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Science, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, North First Street 2, Zhongguancun, Beijing, 100190, China.|School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yao
mesh_terms: D002462:Cell Membrane; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D011108:Polymers
keywords: block copolymers; cell patterning; dual-phase separation; heterogeneous membranes; self-assembly