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Fiber-like block copolymer (BCP) micelles offer considerable potential for a variety of applications, however, uniform samples of controlled length and with spatially tailored chemistry have not been accessible. Recently, a seeded growth method, termed 'living' crystallization-driven self-assembly (CDSA), has been developed to allow the formation of 1D micelles and block comicelles of precisely controlled dimensions from BCPs with a crystallizable segment. An expansion of the range of core forming blocks that participate in living CDSA is necessary for this technique to be compatible with a broad range of applications. Few examples currently exist of well-defined, water-dispersible BCP micelles prepared using this approach, especially from biocompatible and biodegradable polymers. Herein, we demonstrate that BCPs containing a crystallizable polycarbonate, poly(spiro[fluorene-9,5'-[1,3]dioxin]-2'-one) (PFTMC), can readily undergo living CDSA processes. PFTMC-b-poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) BCPs with PFTMC:PEG block ratios of 1:11 and 1:25 were shown to undergo living CDSA to form near monodisperse fiber like micelles of precisely controlled lengths of up to ~1.6 m. Detailed structural characterization of these micelles by TEM, AFM, SAXS and WAXS, revealed that they comprise a crystalline, chain folded PFTMC core with a rectangular cross-section that is surrounded by a solvent swollen PEG corona. PFTMC-b-PEG fiber-like micelles were shown to be dispersible in water to give colloidally stable solutions. This allowed an assessment of the toxicity of these structures towards WI-38 and HeLa cells. From these experiments, we observed no discernable cytotoxicity from a sample of 119 nm fiber-like micelles to either the healthy (WI-38) or cancerous (HeLa) cell types. The living CDSA process was extended to PFTMC-b-poly(2-vinylpyridine) (P2VP), and addition of this BCP to PFTMC-b-PEG seed micelles led to the formation of well-defined segmented fibers with spatially localized coronal chemistries.

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Two calixarene-based bis-alkynyl-bridged Au(I) isonitrile complexes with two different crown ether pendants, [{calix[4]arene-(OCH(2)CONH-C(6)H(4)C[triple bond]C)(2)}{Au(CNR)}(2)] (R=benzo[15]crown-5 (1); R=benzo[18]crown-6 (2)), together with their related crown-free analogue 3 (R=C(6)H(3)(OMe)(2)-3,4) and a mononuclear gold(I) complex 4 with benzo[15]crown-5 pendant, have been designed and synthesized, and their photophysical properties have been studied. The X-ray structure of the ligand, calix[4]arene-(OCH(2)CONH-C(6)H(4)C[triple bond]CH)(2) has been determined. The cation-binding properties of these complexes with various metal ions have been studied using UV/Vis, emission, (1)H NMR, and ESI-MS techniques, and DFT calculations. A new low-energy emission band associated with AuAu interaction could be switched on upon formation of the metal ion-bound adduct in a sandwich fashion.

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Poly(l-lactide) (PLLA)-based nanoparticles have attracted much attention with respect to applications in drug delivery and nanomedicine as a result of their biocompatibility and biodegradability. Nevertheless, the ability to prepare PLLA assemblies with well-defined shape and dimensions is limited and represents a key challenge. Herein we report access to a series of monodisperse complex and hierarchical colloidally stable 2D structures based on PLLA cores using the seeded growth, "living-crystallization-driven self-assembly" method. Specifically, we describe the formation of diamond-shaped platelet micelles and concentric "patchy" block co-micelles by using seeds of the charge-terminated homopolymer PLLA[PPhMe]I to initiate the sequential growth of either additional PLLA[PPhMe]I or a crystallizable blend of the latter with the block copolymer PLLA-b-P2VP, respectively. The epitaxial nature of the growth processes used for the creation of the 2D block co-micelles was confirmed by selected area electron diffraction analysis. Cross-linking of the P2VP corona of the peripheral block in the 2D block co-micelles using Pt nanoparticles followed by dissolution of the interior region in good solvent for PLLA led to the formation of novel, hollow diamond-shaped assemblies. We also demonstrate that, in contrast to the aforementioned results, seeded growth of the unsymmetrical PLLA BCPs PLLA-b-P2VP or PLLA-b-PAGE alone from 2D platelets leads to the formation of diamond-fiber hybrid structures.

Dicarbonyltitanocene is an efficient and highly selective catalyst for alkyne hydroborations by catecholborane and dimethyltitanocene is an efficient and highly selective catalyst for alkene hydroborations. These results contrast the hydroboration chemistry with other early transition metal complexes that simply lead to decomposition of catecholborane to form diborane and parallel the hydroboration chemistry of permethylcyclopentadienyl lanthanide complexes. Titanocene dicarbonyl leads to exclusive anti-Markovnikov regiochemistry and to exclusive single additions of catecholborane across alkynes. Dimethyltitanocene leads to predominantly anti-Markovnikov regiochemistry with alkyl-substituted olefins, and exclusive anti-Markovnikov regiochemistry with vinylarenes. Two titanium(III) complexes, Cp2Ti(H2Bcat) and Cp2Ti(Bcat2), were isolated from the reaction mixtures. These Ti(III) complexes, as well as [Cp2TiH]2 and [Cp2TiMe]2, catalyze the addition of catecholborane to olefins more slowly than the titanium(II) and titanium(IV) compounds. These results are rationalized by a σ bond metathsis between catecholborane and titanocene alkene and alkyne complexes that possess metallacyclopropane and metallacyclopropene character as the B−C bond-forming step. This B−C bond-forming step of the catalysis was observed directly in model reactions.