Micelle-Assisted Synthesis of Conjugated Polymer Nanoparticles (CPNs) with Tunable Structures

It has become well known that the size and shape of inorganic nanoparticles (NPs) such as Au NPs can determine their properties. In contrast, nanostructure-induced properties of polymer materials are virtually unexplored. Although some studies have suggested that conjugated polymer nanoparticles (CPNs) may have optical or electronic properties different from bulk materials, the correlation between the nano-structure and functions of CPNs is far from understood. This lack of knowledge and activity is mainly due to the difficulty in the synthesis of CPNs with well-defined structures. As a result of the lack of materials, investigations into the applications of CPNs are severely compromised. It is therefore highly desirable to develop methodologies to create CPNs in a controlled manner. Taking advantage of recent developments in covalent modification of block copolymer micelles, the proposed research aims to synthesize well-defined CPNs, including solid particles and shell structures, using micelles as scaffolds. The electronic and optical properties will be investigated as a function of the structures, to help us understand polymer nanoscience. Consequently, we expect that the particles that are found to have structure-determined functions will have potential for biomedical applications such as bio-markers.