Nanostructured and Nano-size Polymer Materials: How to Generate Them and Do We Need Them?

Stamm, Manfred

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-39715-3_1

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

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“…[1] The functionality of soft polymer materials commonly derives from their nano-and micro-scale structure and overall morphology. [1][2][3] Many fabrication techniques are capable of producing polymer materials with specific morphologies, including particles, [4][5][6] fibers, [4,[7][8][9] and membranes. [10][11][12] The morphology and microscopic features of the materials obtained by these techniques can sometimes, but not always, be fine-tuned.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fluid Flow Templating of Polymeric Soft Matter with Diverse Morphologies

et al. 2023

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It is challenging to find a conventional nanofabrication technique that can consistently produce soft polymeric matter of high surface area and nanoscale morphology in a way that is scalable, versatile, and easily tunable. Here, the capabilities of a universal method for fabricating diverse nano‐ and micro‐scale morphologies based on polymer precipitation templated by the fluid streamlines in multiphasic flow are explored. It is shown that while the procedure is operationally simple, various combinations of its intertwined mechanisms can controllably and reproducibly lead to the formation of an extraordinary wide range of colloidal morphologies. By systematically investigating the process conditions, 12 distinct classes of polymer micro‐ and nano‐structures including particles, rods, ribbons, nanosheets, and soft dendritic colloids (dendricolloids) are identified. The outcomes are interpreted by delineating the physical processes into three stages: hydrodynamic shear, capillary and mechanical breakup, and polymer precipitation rate. The insights into the underlying fundamental mechanisms provide guidance toward developing a versatile and scalable nanofabrication platform. It is verified that the liquid shear‐based technique is versatile and works well with many chemically diverse polymers and biopolymers, showing potential as a universal tool for simple and scalable nanofabrication of many morphologically distinct soft matter classes.

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