Janus Photonic Microspheres with Bridged Lamellar Structures via Droplet-Confined Block Copolymer Co-Assembly

Artificial self-assembly systems typically exhibit limited capability in creating nature-inspired complex materials with advanced functionalities. Here, an effective co-assembly strategy is demonstrated for the facile creation of complex photonic structures with intriguing light reflections. Two different lipophilic and amphiphilic bottlebrush block copolymers (BCPs) are placed within shrinking droplets to enable a cooperative working mechanism of microphase segregation and organized spontaneous emulsification, respectively. Layer assemblies of the lipophilic BCP and uniform water nanodroplets stabilized by the bottlebrush surfactant are both generated, and co-assembled into a bridged lamellar structure with the alternating arrangement of layers and closely packed nanodroplet arrays. Janus microspheres with diverse dual optical characteristics are successfully fabricated, and reflected wavelengths of light are highly tunable simply by changing the formulation or molecular weight of BCP.

Automated summary

An effective co-assembly strategy has been demonstrated for creating complex photonic structures with interesting light reflections. By placing different bottlebrush block copolymers within shrinking droplets, a cooperative mechanism of microphase segregation and organized spontaneous emulsification is enabled, resulting in the fabrication of Janus microspheres with diverse dual optical characteristics. The reflected wavelengths of light are highly tunable simply by changing the formulation or molecular weight of the block copolymers.