Hierarchically Engineered Nanostructures from Compositionally Anisotropic Molecular Building Blocks

The inability to synthesize hierarchical structures with independently tailored nanoscale and mesoscale features limits the discovery of next-generation multifunctional materials. We present a programmable molecular self-assembly strategy to craft nanostructured materials with a variety of phase-in-phase hierarchical morphologies. The compositionally anisotropic building blocks employed in the assembly process are formed by multi-component graft block copolymers (GBCPs) containing sequence-defined side chains. The judicious design of various structural parameters in the GBCPs enables broadly tunable compositions, morphologies, and lattice parameters across the nanoscale and mesoscale in the assembled structures. Our strategy introduces new design principles for the efficient creation of complex hierarchical structures and provides a facile synthetic platform to access nanomaterials with multiple precisely integrated functionalities.

Review on Natural, Incidental, Bioinspired, and Engineered Nanomaterials: History, Definitions, Classifications, Synthesis, Properties, Market, Toxicities, Risks, and Regulations

Nanomaterials are becoming important materials in several fields and industries thanks to their very reduced size and shape-related features. Scientists think that nanoparticles and nanostructured materials originated during the Big Bang process from meteorites leading to the formation of the universe and Earth. Since 1990, the term nanotechnology became very popular due to advances in imaging technologies that paved the way to specific industrial applications. Currently, nanoparticles and nanostructured materials are synthesized on a large scale and are indispensable for many industries. This fact fosters and supports research in biochemistry, biophysics, and biochemical engineering applications. Recently, nanotechnology has been combined with other sciences to fabricate new forms of nanomaterials that could be used, for instance, for diagnostic tools, drug delivery systems, energy generation/storage, environmental remediation as well as agriculture and food processing. In contrast with traditional materials, specific features can be integrated into nanoparticles, nanostructures, and nanosystems by simply modifying their scale, shape, and composition. This article first summarizes the history of nanomaterials and nanotechnology. Followed by the progress that led to improved synthesis processes to produce different nanoparticles and nanostructures characterized by specific features. The content finally presents various origins and sources of nanomaterials, synthesis strategies, their toxicity, risks, regulations, and self-aggregation.

Photoresponsive behaviour of zwitterionic polymer particles with photodimerizable groups on their surfaces

Polymer particles with precise diameters have been used as building blocks for fabricating well-defined and nanostructured materials. Polymer particles as building blocks for medical applications require both easily spatiotemporal manipulation...