General route to metal-silica-block copolymer mesostructured hybrids with high metal loadings

PMSE 226

Scott C. Warren, scw28@cornell.edu1, Matthew R. Perkins, mrp35@cornell.edu2, Francis J. DiSalvo Jr., fjd3@cornell.edu1, and Ulrich B. Wiesner, ubw1@cornell.edu2. (1) Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, 102 Baker Laboratory, Ithaca, NY 14853, (2) Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Cornell University, 304 Thurston Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853
We present a method for incorporating high loadings of metals into silica-block copolymer mesostructures while simultaneously introducing biological functionality. We use a silicon alkoxide-containing molecule derived from an amino acid, hydroxy acid, or peptide that ligates many metals. Hydrolysis and condensation of these complexes carries the metal through the sol-gel process. Subsequent addition of the sol to a polyisoprene-block-poly(ethylene oxide) copolymer generates metal-silica-copolymer hybrids with exceptionally high metal loadings. Judicious choice of an amino acid, hydroxy acid, or peptide allows multiple biological functionalities to be built into the hybrid. This approach opens the door to hybrids with novel catalytic, magnetic, optical, and sensing properties.
 

Block Copolymers as Nanoscale Materials
1:30 PM-4:40 PM, Tuesday, 12 September 2006 San Francisco Marriott -- Salon 7, Oral

Division of Polymeric Materials: Science & Engineering

The 232nd ACS National Meeting, San Francisco, CA, September 10-14, 2006