Efficient Synthesis of Single Gold Nanoparticle Hybrid Amphiphilic Triblock Copolymers and Their Controlled Self-Assembly

• DOI: 10.1021/ja302019q
• Publication Date: 2012-04-23T19:01:16Z
• Authors: Jinming Hu; Tao Wu; Guoying Zhang; Shiyong Liu
• Keywords: 01 natural sciences; 0104 chemical sciences

We report on a robust approach to the size-selective and template-free synthesis of asymmetrically functionalized ultrasmall (<4 nm) gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) stably anchored with a single amphiphilic triblock copolymer chain per NP. Directed NP self-assembly in aqueous solution can be facilely accomplished to afford organic/inorganic hybrid micelles, vesicles, rods, and large compound micelles by taking advantage of the rich microphase separation behavior of the as-synthesized AuNP hybrid amphiphilic triblock copolymers, PEO-AuNP-PS, which act as the polymer-metal-polymer analogue of conventional amphiphilic triblock copolymers. Factors affecting the size-selective fabrication and self-assembly characteristics and the time-dependent morphological evolution of NP assemblies were thoroughly explored.