Efficient Access to 3D Mesoscopic Prisms in Polymeric Soft Materials

The preparation of 3D functional isolated mesoscopic assemblies remains a challenge in the self-assembly of polymers. Here, well-defined 3D hexagonal and hexagram prisms with uniform dimensions are acquired by the crystallization of the inclusion complex composed of a crystalline molecule tris-o-phenylenedioxycyclotriphosphazene (TPP) and a block copolymer. The crystalline TPP plays an important role in the self-assembling process. The faceted morphologies of the hexagonal and hexagram prisms are infrequent in the self-assembly field of soft materials. The formation of the prisms experiences a 3D growth mechanism. The epitaxial growth, accompanied by the heterogeneous nucleation in the edges, yields the growth of inclusion crystals. This study provides a path to construct well-defined polymeric soft materials with broad utility based on numerous supramolecular complexes.

Automated summary

This study successfully prepared three-dimensional hexagonal and hexagram prisms with uniform dimensions by crystallizing TPP and a block copolymer, and explored their growth mechanism. The results indicate that crystalline TPP plays an important role in the self-assembly process, and the faceted morphologies of the prisms are infrequent in the field of soft materials.