Semi-conducting 2D rectangles with tunable length via uniaxial living crystallization-driven self-assembly of homopolymer

Semi-conducting two-dimensional (2D) nanoobjects, prepared by self-assembly of conjugated polymers, are promising materials for optoelectronic applications. However, no examples of self-assembled semi-conducting 2D nanosheets whose lengths and aspect ratios are controlled at the same time have been reported. Herein, we successfully prepared uniform semi-conducting 2D sheets using a conjugated poly(cyclopentenylene vinylene) homopolymer and its block copolymer by blending and heating. Using these as 2D seeds, living crystallization-driven self-assembly (CDSA) was achieved by adding the homopolymer as a unimer. Interestingly, unlike typical 2D CDSA examples showing radial growth, this homopolymer assembled only in one direction. Owing to this uniaxial growth, the lengths of the 2D nanosheets could be precisely tuned from 1.5 to 8.8 mu m with narrow dispersity according to the unimer-to-seed ratio. We also studied the growth kinetics of the living 2D CDSA and confirmed first-order kinetics. Subsequently, we prepared several 2D block comicelles (BCMs), including penta-BCMs in a one-shot method. Semi-conducting two-dimensional polymer nanoobjects are promising materials but examples of self-assembled 2D nanosheets with controlled dimensions has not been shown before. Here, the authors precisely tune the length of 2D sheets of conjugated polymers by using blending, heating, and seeded-growth strategies.

Automated summary

The authors have successfully controlled the length of 2D sheets of conjugated polymers by blending, heating, and seeded-growth strategies, providing a new method for preparing semi-conducting two-dimensional polymer nanoobjects.