Solid state self-assembly of polyferrocenylsilane diblock copolymers and applications in materials science

PMSE 222

Wing Yan Chan, gchan@chem.utoronto.ca1, David A. Rider1, and Ian Manners, ian.manners@bristol.ac.uk2. (1) Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, 80 St. George Street, Toronto, ON M5S 3H6, Canada, (2) School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Cantock's Close, Bristol, BS8 1TS, United Kingdom
Block copolymers containing immiscible segments undergo microphase separation in the bulk to give a variety of interesting nanostructures. Polyferrocenylsilanes (PFS) are iron-containing polymers that can be readily incorporated into diblock copolymers containing polystyrene. Using sec-butyl lithium as an initiator for the anionic polymerization of styrene, living polystyrene is formed and subsequently used as a macroinitiator for ethylmethylsila[1]ferrocenophane. This method gives well-defined poly(styrene-b-ferrocenylethylmethylsilane) (PS-b-PFEMS) diblock copolymers with tunable iron content. Microphase separation of this material in the bulk gives well-ordered nanostructures such as spheres, cylinders, and lamellae. Thin films of PS-b-PFEMS also show phase separation, and iron catalysts for the growth of single-walled carbon nanotubes are formed after treating the film with UV-ozone.
 

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