Rapid, Precise, and Robust Supramolecular Polymerization from Functional Oligomeric‐Charged Poly(3‐hexylthiophene) Amphiphiles
Nature inspires the design of artificial systems with remarkable rapidity, precision, and functionality, yet achieving these attributes simultaneously remains a challenge. Living crystallization-driven self-assembly (CDSA) methods have enabled the formation of low-dispersity block copolymer nanofibers with crystalline cores, but these processes typically involve moderate or slow growth kinetics to ensure well-controlled and ordered epitaxial crystallization. Here, we report studies on the living CDSA of oligomeric-charged poly(3-hexylthiophene) amphiphiles, demonstrating an unprecedented combination of rapidity and precision. We show that self-seeding can produce nanofibers with controllable lengths up to ∼700 nm within ∼15 min (including 5 min of disassembly and 10 min of re-growth), while seeded growth can generate nanofibers up to > 2000 nm in length within ∼20-40 min, depending on the unimer-to-seed mass ratios. Notably, this robust supramolecular polymerization can be initiated from the surfaces of two-dimensional nanosheets, resulting in hierarchical hairy structures grafted with dense, uniform micellar brushes.
Authors
- Jiandong Cai (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8840-7814)
- Li Chen
- Ian Manners
Institutions
- Shanghai Jiao Tong University (CN)
- University of Victoria (CA)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Angewandte Chemie International Edition
- Published
- 2025-03-11
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202501552
- Citations
- 7
- Primary Topic
- Luminescence and Fluorescent Materials
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 3.62
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China