Polymerization-Induced Self-Assembly of Micelles Observed by Liquid Cell Transmission Electron Microscopy

Abstract

In this paper, we describe the use of liquid cell transmission electron microscopy (LCTEM) for inducing and imaging the formation of spherical micelles from amphiphilic block copolymers. Within the irradiated region of the liquid cell, diblock copolymers were produced which self-assembled, yielding a targeted spherical micellar phase via polymerization-induced self-assembly (PISA). Critically, we demonstrate that nanoparticle formation can be visualized in situ and that in the presence of excess monomer, nanoparticle growth occurs to yield sizes and morphologies consistent with standard PISA conditions. Experiments were enabled by employing automated LCTEM sample preparation and by analyzing LCTEM data with multi-object tracking algorithms designed for the detection of low-contrast materials.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 25, 2018
Accession Number
AD1082339

Entities

People

  • Brent Sumerlin
  • C. A. Figg
  • Chiwoo Park
  • Daniel B. Wright
  • Joshua Cantlon
  • Mollie A. Touve
  • Nathan C. Gianneschi

Organizations

  • Northwestern University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Algorithms
  • Assembly
  • Biomedical And Dental Materials
  • Block Copolymers
  • Chemical Compounds
  • Chemistry
  • Copolymers
  • Electron Beams
  • Electron Flux
  • Engineering
  • Manufacturing
  • Materials
  • Materials Science
  • Organic Materials
  • Particles
  • Self Assembly
  • United States

Readers

  • Nanocomposite Materials Science
  • Oncology and Biomarker-Based Cancer Detection.
  • Polymer Science and Technology

Technology Areas

  • Biotechnology
  • Microelectronics