Medical University of South Carolina

Morgan Stefik

Zachary Marsh

Hasala N Lokupitiya

Chuanbing Tang

Taylor Larison

Amrita Sarkar

A method of forming persistent micelles is described. Particularly, methods disclosed herein include dissolving a block copolymer in a first solvent to form a dispersion containing unimers or dynamic micelles. Further, a method includes contacting the dispersion with a second solvent forming the persistent micelles. The persistent micelles formed by the method of the present disclosure can be used for controlled delivery of dispersions in organic electronic coatings, paint, or drug delivery applications and can also be used to control the pore size of films that include an oxide, a nitride, a carbide, a metal, or a carbon material.

Persistent micelle corona chemistry

A quartz crystal microbalance coated with functionalized nanoparticles used to detect molecule-nanoparticle interactions to assist with characterization of difficult to predict molecule-nanoparticle interactions for novel ligand chemistries and, particularly, mixed ligand nanoparticles exhibiting different ligand morphologies, in order to quantify nanoparticle-molecule interactions independently from more complex solvation requirements.

Detection of molecule-nanoparticle interactions with ligand shells

A method to quickly adjust the size of micelles and then return the micelles to a persistent state is provided. Specifically, the present invention is directed to a method for block copolymer micelle growth under high-&#x3c7;N solution conditions where ultrasonic cavitation facilitates rapid solution-gas interface production that accelerates micelle growth by an order of magnitude over other methods such as vortexing. The persistent micelles formed by the method of the present invention can then be used for controlled delivery of dispersions in organic electronic coatings, paint, or drug delivery applications and can also be used to control the pore size of films that include an oxide, a nitride, a carbide, a metal, or a carbon material.

Ultrasonic cavitation enabled tuning of persistent micelles

Products derived from and methods of micelle templating that allow for orthogonal control over structural features.

Tunable nanomaterials by templating from kinetically trapped polymer micelles

A trifluoroacetic acid-based etchant is described that can remove a sacrificial component of a multi-component polymer, e.g., a self-assembled block copolymer. The etchant can operate at a high etch rate and with excellent selectivity. The etchant can remove a hydrolysable sacrificial component such as a polylactide block from a self-assembled block copolymer. The etchant enables the macroscopic preservation of the nanostructure morphologies of self-assembled copolymers (e.g., poly(styrene-block-lactide) copolymers) and can yield pristine porous films of the non-hydrolysable component of the starting multi-component polymer.

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Columbia, SC, United States of America

Morgan Stefik